IISc launches Wadhwani Innovation Centre in Bengaluru to boost quantum and deeptech ecosystem

The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) has inaugurated the Wadhwani-IISc Innovation Centre in Bengaluru, marking a major push toward deeptech research, startup incubation, and innovation-led entrepreneurship in the country.

The innovation centre was inaugurated by AS Kiran Kumar, former Chairman of ISRO, in the presence of Dr Ajay Kela, CEO and Board Member of the Wadhwani Foundation, and Dr Shirshendu Mukherjee, Managing Director of the Wadhwani Innovation Network (WIN) India.

The launch also featured the ‘Quantum Pitch Fest 2026’ and the unveiling of a dedicated startup acceleration platform named ‘InQubate’.

The Wadhwani-IISc Innovation Centre aims to accelerate deeptech research, and strengthen industry collaboration. It is part of the Wadhwani Innovation Network (WIN), a national initiative linked to a Rs 1,400-crore collaborative investment announced last year by the Wadhwani Foundation along with ANRF, academic institutions, and government partners to strengthen India’s deeptech and research commercialisation ecosystem. 

“Technology alone is not important; how these technological capabilities are used for developing society and country matters more,” said AS Kiran Kumar. 

Dr Ajay Kela, CEO and Board Member of the Wadhwani Foundation, said India has strong scientific and research talent, but the focus now must shift toward accelerating the commercialisation of research into scalable startups and products.

According to B Gurumoorthy, Director, Foundation for Science, Innovation and Development (FSID), IISc, “Quantum technologies represent one of the most transformative frontiers of science and innovation. Through the Wadhwani-IISc Innovation Centre, Quantum Pitch Fest, and the InQubate platform, IISc is creating a collaborative ecosystem to help researchers and entrepreneurs translate cutting-edge quantum research into scalable technologies and globally competitive ventures.” 

During the event, IISc also launched InQubate, a startup acceleration platform focused on quantum technologies. The platform will provide mentorship, infrastructure, and incubation support to early-stage startups in areas such as quantum computing, communication, and sensing.

Researchers and startups participating in Quantum Pitch Fest 2026 presented solutions across quantum technologies, with selected teams receiving mentorship and incubation opportunities through IISc’s entrepreneurship programmes.

The initiatives are part of IISc’s broader push to strengthen India’s position in deeptech entrepreneurship and advanced scientific innovation.