National I-STEM Footprint (as on 31 March 2026)
These figures reflect the growing adoption of I-STEM as a national mechanism for sharing publicly funded R&D infrastructure.
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Institutions registered with I-STEM
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Equipment available under I-STEM
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Users Registered
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Facility Booking Requests Generated
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Facility Booking Requests Executed
About I-STEM
I-STEM is a national digital initiative enabling equitable access to publicly funded scientific research infrastructure across India.
Operated under the strategic direction of the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, I-STEM connects researchers, institutions, startups, and industry with advanced R&D facilities hosted across the country.
- The Indian Science Technology and Engineering facilities Map (I-STEM) project, an initiative of the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the Government of India, is a National Portal for sharing of publicly funded scientific equipment available at R&D and Academic institutions.
- Launched by Hon’ble PM on Jan 2020, the I-STEM portal facilitates sharing of costly R&D resources/equipment/software with all institutions including tier-2/tier-3 institutions in order to optimize the usage of these resources across the country by researchers and start-ups.
I-STEM Portal is being implemented in two phases and has the registration from 56782 users, and more than 30249 instruments are uploaded by 3812 institutes PAN-India as on date.
Implementation Highlights
Ministries and departments onboarded to the I-STEM framework.
Institutional registrations accelerated across 14 Ministries.
Expanded outreach to Tier-2 and Tier-3 regions.
Increased compliance with national equipment-sharing directives.
CAPACITY-BUILDING & OPERATIONAL RESOURCES
To support awareness, correct usage, and inclusive access to the I-STEM-stem programme, structured capacity-building and operational guidance resources have been initiated under the I-STEM National Portal initiative.
Official, multilingual explainer and demonstration videos are provided through I-STEM’s official YouTube channel to help researchers, institutions, startups, and industry users understand the purpose of I-STEM and the broad process for accessing shared research infrastructure. Content is available in English and selected Indian languages, with phased expansion.
A standardised operational reference for equipment custodians and participating institutions, outlining roles and responsibilities, standard operating practices, best practices, and governance requirements under the I-STEM programme.
A standardised operational reference for users to search Equipment and book a slot through I-STEM portal; this handbook is designed as a practical reference guide to help users understand, navigate, and effectively utilise the facilities that the platform offers.
Participating Agencies
Programme Leadership
Members
