Published: December 7, 2025 7:00 AM (IST)
The festival will feature more than 150 technical and thematic sessions spanning science, technology, innovation and industry. Key areas of focus include artificial intelligence (AI), bioeconomy, space, quantum technology, and the integration of traditional knowledge and modern science, with sessions on deep technology entrepreneurship and the blue economy.
The 11th India International Science Festival (IISF) 2025 has begun with a massive gathering of thousands of participants including school children, international experts and enthusiasts from across India. The festival will feature more than 150 technical and thematic sessions spanning science, technology, innovation and industry. Key areas of focus include artificial intelligence (AI), bioeconomy, space, quantum technology, and the integration of traditional knowledge and modern science, with sessions on deep technology entrepreneurship and the blue economy.
Speaking at the inaugural session, Dr. Jitendra Singh, Union Minister for Science and Technology, highlighted that a significant portion of IISF's activities are designed for school children, university students and young researchers, and stressed the need to spread awareness about careers in science. He also inaugurated the Science-Technology-Defence-Space exhibition and the “Science on a Sphere” installation. Dr. Singh interacted with researchers from India's Antarctic Research Station Bharati through a live interface.
Later, in a roundtable discussion, the minister called on industry, investors and researchers to play a more active role in shaping India's research and innovation landscape as the government prepares to roll out policies. INR1 billion Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund. He said that public institutions alone cannot carry the burden of innovation, and stressed that private sector participation is now important. Participants were briefed on how the RDI Fund complements the work of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), which supports basic and cutting-edge research and fosters collaboration between academia and industry.
During the four-day festival, Toynik (an Ideaforage Innovations company) will introduce a unique gamified learning approach that blends science, math, and play. Toynik's portfolio includes physical and AR-integrated puzzle games such as Trigonik, Coowned, Operator, and Trigo Card. Their flagship innovation is Nutorno, a new educational card game co-developed with nutrition science expert Dr. Kalyani Singh. They designed Nutruno as an activity-based, story-driven tool that aims to significantly improve children's nutritional literacy and analytical thinking, thereby bridging the gap between education and engaging innovation.
