Centre approves 22 projects worth Rs 4,744 crore under RDI Fund; shortlists 8

New Delhi, July 23 (IANS) The Central government's Technology Development Board (TDB) has approved 22 projects with a total project cost of Rs 4,744 crore, extending RDIF support of Rs 2,192 crore to them, the Parliament was informed on Thursday. Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) shortlisted another eight projects for support under the RDIF, involving an amount of Rs 390.35 crore, Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh said in the Rajya Sabha. TDB and the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council were approved as Second Level Fund Managers under the Focused Research Organisations category of Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund. So far, two SLFMs — TDB and BIRAC — have been sanctioned Rs 1,000 crore each under the RDIF, the statement from the Ministry of Science & Technology said, adding these funds are for investment in eligible technology entities. The Union Cabinet approved the Rs 1 lakh crore Research, Development and Innovation Fund in July 2025, and launched it in November, 2025. Applications were invited from Second Level Fund Managers (SLFMs) for onboarding under the Fund and 162 applications were received from various Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs) and 38 applications from Focused Research Organisations (FROs). These applications have been processed and are currently under consideration by the competent sanctioning authority, involving a total proposed commitment of around Rs 8,000 crore for various AIFs and FROs, the minister said. The Scheme targets strategic technology sectors, including energy security and transition, and climate action; deep technologies, including quantum computing, robotics and space; artificial intelligence (AI) and its applications in agriculture, health and education. Further, it targets biotechnology, biomanufacturing, synthetic biology, pharmaceuticals and medical devices; and the digital economy, including digital agriculture. Other proposed sectors include technologies whose indigenisation is important for strategic reasons, the statement noted. —IANS aar/na