Dr. (Mrs.) Parvinder Maini chaired the first meeting of State Government Nodal Officers for the I-STEM Portal on September 21, 2026. The aim was to strengthen state participation in the scientific infrastructure ecosystem by encouraging institutional onboarding, expanding access, improving utilisation, supporting infrastructure planning, and strengthening State-level coordination.
On September 21, 2026, Dr. (Mrs.) Parvinder Maini, Scientific Secretary of the Office of PSA to the Government of India, chaired the first 'State Governments Nodal Officers Meeting' for the I-STEM Portal. The meeting was held to strengthen the participation of State Governments in the scientific infrastructure ecosystem and facilitate the onboarding and effective utilisation of publicly funded scientific infrastructure across States.
The I-STEM platform, conceived and supported by the Office of the PSA and launched by the Hon’ble Prime Minister in January 2020, has grown into a national resource with more than 31,000 scientific instruments across nearly 4,000 institutions and over 65,000 registered users. By improving the utilisation of existing infrastructure, reducing duplication of investments, and facilitating access to specialised facilities, I-STEM is strengthening the research and innovation ecosystem across the country.
The meeting brought together State Government Nodal Officers from 23 States and 4 UTs, along with representatives from the Office of the PSA and I-STEM. The meeting included an overview of I-STEM, a detailed orientation on the platform, and an interactive discussion with the Nodal Officers.
During her keynote address, Dr. (Mrs.) Parvinder Maini emphasised the role of Nodal Officers in facilitating institutional onboarding, equipment listing, wider access, and effective utilisation of facilities while addressing practical issues related to coordination and implementation. She also highlighted the importance of initiatives such as One Nation One Subscription (ONOS) in enabling wider access to high-quality scholarly resources and strengthening the research ecosystem.
In addition, Dr. Vishal Choudhary provided an overview of the I-STEM Portal, while Dr. Harilal Bhaskar conducted the detailed orientation on the platform and its functionalities. The orientation covered the process of onboarding institutions, listing scientific equipment, and enabling wider access to publicly funded R&D infrastructure.
The meeting also highlighted the importance of I-STEM for State universities, colleges, technical institutions, and emerging innovation ecosystems, particularly where access to specialised scientific infrastructure may be limited. It was also emphasized that all other existing similar portals (like ANALYTICS portal of CSIR) are being integrated with I-STEM through API linkages.
The deliberations and stakeholder interventions underscored the following key priorities: Strengthening institutional onboarding, expanding access, improving utilisation, supporting infrastructure planning, and strengthening State-level coordination.
Source:
Press Information Bureau
