Various policy measures and incentives have been undertaken, both at the Centre and the State levels, so as to promote science and technology infrastructure and innovation activities in the country. One of the important step in this direction has been the announcement of Science and Technology (S&T) Policy, which seeks to reiterate India's commitment to participate as an equal and vigorous global player in generating and harnessing advances in science and technology for the benefit of all humankind. It mainly aims to promote and support innovation in all its aspects, and accordingly create a comprehensive national system of innovation covering science and technology as well as legal, financial and other related aspects.

The main objectives of the S&T policy are to:-

• Ensure that the message of science reaches every citizen of India, man and woman, young and old, so that they advance scientific temper, emerge as a progressive and enlightened society, and make it possible for all to participate fully in the development of science and technology and its application for human welfare. That is, science and technology is to be fully integrated with all spheres of national activity.
• Ensure food, agricultural, nutritional, environmental, water, health and energy security of the people on a sustainable basis.
• Mount a direct and sustained effort on the alleviation of poverty, enhancing livelihood security, removal of hunger and malnutrition, reduction of drudgery and regional imbalances, both rural and urban, and generation of employment, by using scientific and technological capabilities along with India's traditional knowledge pool. This will call for the generation and screening of all relevant technologies, their widespread dissemination through networking and support for the vast unorganized sector of economy.
• Vigorously foster scientific research in universities and other academic, scientific and engineering institutions; and attract the brightest young persons to careers in science and technology, by conveying a sense of excitement concerning the advancing frontiers, and by creating suitable employment opportunities for them. Also, to build and maintain centres of excellence, which will raise the level of work in selected areas to the highest international standards.
• Promote the empowerment of women in all science and technology activities and ensure their full and equal participation.
• Provide necessary autonomy and freedom of functioning for all academic and R&D institutions so that an ambience for truly creative work is encouraged, while ensuring at the same time that the science and technology enterprise in the country is fully committed to its social responsibilities and commitments.
• Use the full potential of modern science and technology to protect, preserve, evaluate, update, add value to, and utilize the extensive knowledge acquired over the long civilizational experience of India.
• Accomplish national strategic and security-related objectives, by using the latest advances in science and technology.
• Encourage research and innovation in areas of relevance for the economy and society, particularly by promoting close and productive interaction between private and public institutions in science and technology. Sectors such as agriculture (particularly soil and water management, human and animal nutrition, fisheries), water, health, education, industry, energy including renewable energy, communication and transportation would be accorded highest priority. Key leverage technologies such as information technology, biotechnology and materials science and technology would be given special importance.
• Substantially strengthen enabling mechanisms that relate to technology development, evaluation, absorption and upgradation from concept to utilization.
• Establish an Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) regime which maximises the incentives for the generation and protection of intellectual property by all types of inventors. The regime would also provide a strong, supportive and comprehensive policy environment for speedy and effective domestic commercialisation of such inventions so as to be maximal in the public interest.
• Ensure, in an era in which information is key to the development of science and technology, that all efforts are made to have high-speed access to information, both in quality and quantity, at affordable costs; and also create digitised, valid and usable content of Indian origin.
• Encourage research and application for forecasting, prevention and mitigation of natural hazards, particularly, floods, cyclones, earthquakes, drought and landslides.
• Promote international science and technology cooperation towards achieving the goals of national development and security, and make it a key element of India's international relations.
• To integrate scientific knowledge with insights from other disciplines, as well as ensure fullest involvement of scientists and technologists in national governance so that the spirit and methods of scientific enquiry permeate deeply into all areas of public policy making.

Secondly, efforts are being made to draft new innovation law called 'National Innovation Act, 2008'. This Act applies to the whole of India. It aims to facilitate public, private or public- private partnership initiatives for building an Innovation support system to encourage innovation, evolve a National Integrated Science and Technology Plan as well as codify and consolidate the law of confidentiality in aid of protecting confidential Information, trade secrets and innovation. As per the Act, the term 'Innovation' means "a process for incremental or significant technical advance or change, which provides enhancement of measurable economic value, and shall include: (a) introducing new or improved goods or services; (b) implementing new or improved operational processes; and (c) implementing new or improved organizational / managerial processes. Wherein, measurable value enhancement or economic significance may include one or more of the following: (i) increase in market share; (ii) competitive advantage; (iii) improvement in the quality of products or services; (iv) reduction of costs".

As a result of all such measures, there is existence of sound infrastructural base for science and technology and solid foundation for innovation to prosper. These include well-equipped research laboratories, higher educational institutions and highly skilled human resources. India's strength in basic research/ S&T is recognized internationally and covers an impressive range of diverse disciplines, areas of competence and of applications. Successes in agriculture, health care, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, nuclear energy, astronomy and astrophysics, space technology and applications, defense research, biotechnology, electronics, information technology and oceanography are widely acknowledged.