Indian Science Technology and Engineering facilities Map (I-STEM) Official

What Indian Science Technology and Engineering facilities Map (I-STEM) Official does

I-STEM (Indian Science Technology and Engineering facilities Map) is a national web portal initiative of the Government of India, conceived and supported by the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser and hosted at the National Informatics Centre in Delhi. Operational since 18 March 2018, the platform serves as a centralized gateway enabling researchers to locate and book R&D equipment and facilities across publicly funded institutions in India. As of the most recent reporting, the portal catalogues 31,015+ equipment items across 3,890+ participating institutions — including IITs, NITs, central universities, CSIR, ICAR, ICMR, DRDO, and ISRO labs — and serves 61,868+ registered users who have generated 107,597+ facility booking records. The user base is dominated by academic researchers (57,951), supplemented by national research lab users (1,552), industry professionals (979), and start-ups (206).

The platform's product ecosystem extends well beyond equipment booking. Software Through I-STEM provides institutional access to licensed research software such as COMSOL Multiphysics, MATLAB, LabVIEW, and ConventorWare. The I-Progress analytics dashboard tracks researchers, equipment, institutions, and software users. Adjacent programs include the I-STEM Ambassador Programme for regional advocacy, the I-RISE Operator Training Program and I-STEM Talent Connect for workforce development, the Accreditation Catalyst Model Centre (ACMC) Network for instrument accreditation, and the National Software Directory Initiative for mapping software assets. The portal is STQC-audited for quality and security.

I-STEM operates as a public good with no user fees, no disclosed revenue, and no funding rounds. Its business model is government-funded e-governance rather than commercial SaaS, with go-to-market executed via institutional mandate, government networks, and self-service web access rather than conventional sales or marketing. The platform is functionally a national research-infrastructure utility, not a commercially monetized venture.

Name

Indian Science Technology and Engineering facilities Map (I-STEM) Official

Legal name

I-STEM

Website

https://istem.gov.in

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

I-STEM is a Government of India national web portal enabling researchers to locate and book R&D equipment across 3,890+ publicly funded institutions. The free platform serves academic researchers, national research labs, industry users, and start-ups.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Research Infrastructure Management Platform

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (519)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

STEM Project-Based Learning (PBL) & Challenge Platforms (EDAFANAI)

Keywords

• R&D infrastructure sharing
• Scientific equipment access
• Research facility booking
• Lab equipment directory
• National research portal

Headquarters

HQ city

New Delhi

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Platform Services (Free Access): I-STEM provides free access to researchers for locating and booking R&D facilities. As a government initiative under the Office of Principal Scientific Adviser, the platform operates as a public good without direct revenue generation from users.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

I-STEM operates a national interactive web portal that serves as a centralized gateway for researchers to locate, reserve, and access publicly funded R&D equipment and facilities across institutions in India. The platform aggregates 31,015+ equipment items from 3,890+ institutions and enables researchers to identify facilities closest to them or available soonest. Hosted by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) in Delhi, it functions as a one-stop shop for R&D infrastructure discovery and booking, with complementary modules for software licensing, talent connection, and analytics.

Product overview

I-STEM (Indian Science Technology and Engineering facilities Map) operates as a unified national platform comprising the core I-STEM Web Portal as the central gateway, supplemented by the Software Through I-STEM module for accessing licensed research tools (COMSOL, MATLAB, LabVIEW, ConventorWare), and the I-Progress analytics module for tracking researchers, equipment, institutions, and software usage statistics. The ecosystem also includes community and training programs: the I-STEM Ambassador Programme for regional advocacy, the I-RISE Operator Training Program for skill development, I-STEM Talent Connect for recruitment of trained professionals, the ACMC Network for instrument accreditation, and the National Software Directory Initiative for mapping research software assets across institutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• I-STEM Web Portal National interactive web portal hosted by NIC Delhi that serves as a centralized gateway for R&D infrastructure sharing, enabling academic researchers, research institutions, industry users, and start-ups to search equipment and facility databases, view real-time availability, and reserve instruments on a per-hour basis.
• Software Through I-STEM Software licensing module accessible through the I-STEM platform that enables researchers to discover and access research software tools relevant to their work, integrated within the broader I-STEM ecosystem.
• I-STEM Talent Connect Recruitment-oriented platform feature within I-STEM that connects skilled instrument operators, technical experts, and researchers with institutions seeking specialized talent for R&D equipment operation and related roles.

Quantifiable outcome

• 107,597+ facility booking records processed through the platform
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of IndiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary supporting entity that conceived and backs the I-STEM initiative. The Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser provides governmental mandate and strategic direction for the national portal.
• National Informatics Centre (NIC)coreTechnology or IntegrationProvides hosting infrastructure for the I-STEM platform. Located in Delhi, NIC is the premier IT organization of the Government of India.
• Indian Institute of Science (IISc)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIISc serves as a key data provider and pilot institution for equipment data on the platform. The platform notes data related to equipment at IISc will be accurate and current.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/i-stem-portal

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Indian Science Technology and Engineering facilities Map (I-STEM) Official