India to Fund Quantum Labs Across 100 Engineering Colleges to Boost Research
Tuesday, 25 November 2025, 15:22 IST
- Government to fund quantum labs in 100 engineering colleges
- Two major quantum fabrication facilities coming up at IIT Bombay and IISc
- Over 500 proposals received, final selection to be made soon
The Indian government is stepping up efforts to build a strong talent pipeline in quantum science and technology. The Department of Science and Technology (DST) has announced plans to fund 100 engineering colleges with Rs 1 crore each to set up dedicated quantum teaching labs for undergraduate minor programs.
Prof. Abhay Karandikar, DST Secretary shared the update during an event at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay. He said the department has already received more than 500 proposals from institutions across the country, and around 100 will be shortlisted for funding. These labs are expected to help students gain hands-on experience and strengthen the country’s foundation in quantum research.
To further support innovation, DST will also create a quantum algorithms technical group to help build talent, assist startups, and push research and technology development in this emerging field.
In a major boost to India’s quantum ecosystem, two state-of-the-art quantum fabrication and central facilities will be set up at IIT Bombay and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru under the National Quantum Mission (NQM). Announced earlier by Union Science and Technology Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh, these facilities involve an investment of Rs 720 crore. They aim to indigenize the production of quantum chips and sensors, reducing dependency on imported hardware and speeding up quantum technology development in the country.
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Additionally, two smaller quantum facilities will be established at IIT Delhi and IIT Kanpur. The minister noted that these initiatives will strengthen India’s progress in superconductivity, photonics, cryogenic engineering, healthcare technologies, quantum computing, and green energy solutions.
