New deep technology companies are companies that market products or services based on Backthrough scientific or technological based on R&D | Photo credit: Aislan13
‘Deep Tech’ has been in the headlines of the Indian media lately, in the context of the speech of Minister Piyush Goyal in the recently completed startup Mahakumbh. While we have a famous unicorns that are predominantly new consumer technology companies that develop applications and algorithms that we have on our devices, Deep Tech is based on scientific and technological advances. What makes a new deep technological company different, and which son of the different ecosystem should cultivate India to respond to the call of the minister?
In simple terms, new deep technology companies are companies that market products or services based on scientific or technological advances based on fundamental R&D. A key feature that differentiates the deep technology from consumer technology is that, in addition to market risk, there is the risk of additional technology associated with fundamental R&D, due to technological uncertainty, a longer pregnancy to achieve.
Let’s look at an example to understand this. One of the first in the developed and successful deep technology products of deep technology in India was a low -cost heart valve. This valve was a class III medical device, a high -risk technology product, since it was necessary to implement in the human body to maintain or support life. This fundamental R&D for the valve was carried out by the Institute of Medical Sciences of Sree Chitra Trivandrum (SCTTIM), an Institute for Research and Hospital of the Government of India. For the non -existent biomedical innovation ecosystem of an a of a of a of one of an a of one of one of one of one of one of one of one of one of one of one of one of one of one of one of one of an a of a of a of a from 198 to its commercialization in 1995.
This history of a deep technological innovation ecosystem in India around biomedical devices, documented in a recent Journal of Product Innovation Management The article identified that the development of a prototype of the cardiac valve implied experimentation with different material compositions, participating in unrelated technological associations such as space technology and the creation of governance mechanisms and railings for technology.
Develop a prototype that passed animal safety tests touched the team 10 years and four different final versions before human tests could begin. Then, when human rehearsals moved, the valve had to move from a laboratory environment to the production of industrial scale, and multiple hospitals should be willing to participate in human tests. In both thesis counts, there was a significant apprehension due to the high risk of technology, due to the impact of advertising reputation on industrial partners and hospitals if technology fails, which in this case will cost a human life.
Therefore, when it came to marketing technology, Scttimst had to put his own brand in reputation by calling it ‘chitra heart valve’. Then, together with an industry partner, which turned out to be an unrelated industry such as the pressure cooker, since there was no other partner of the biomedical innovation ecosystem, they had to cook a technological test installation, where the heart production was. In addition, a main scientist had to move from Scttimst with the technology to the marketing partner, in the process of creating a new company that marketed the heart valve.
Multiple lessons
This example sacrifices multiple relevant lessons to imagine a deep technological ecosystem. First, the need for the patient’s capital, who is willing to take risks while at ease with the long development cycles. This needs a dedicated government capital that works together with the capital of the philanthropy of family foundations aimed at deep technological research centers or companies in early stages with a coincidental coinversion of the industry.
Second, a more perfect participation between the academy and the industry, in which there is flexibility in the form of sabbats offered to work in marketing, a technology developed in a laboratory in a mission mode worthy of an industry partner. This could also take the form of a University Spin-off or research institute with tripartite stakes between the university, the industry and the main academic group that develops technology.
Third, it creates an incentive structure within the academy that you press to go beyond the publication and patent of the magazine to focus on the translation of research in the real world. This will also need the allocation of reinvention time and workload models in Indian universities, which currently have a higher prioritization in teaching.
Finally, we could learn from the policies of Asean countries as the SGPUR SG Tech program, to develop competitive research subsidies with the cat scenario for concept proof and value test projects. To complement this, based on the example of Korea of the Deep Technology Incubators program for Startup, Meity Startup Hub could first outline the deep technological fields of high potential, where India has a great experience, such as biomedical, space technology and clean energy to offer tutoring directed both in technological and market aspects.
Ultimately, fostering new deep technological companies is not about climbing the existing starting models, but to dominate a different, more patient and specialized ecosystems creation that encourages technological innovations from one laboratory to another.
The writer is a professor at the University of Glasgow Adam Smith Business School
Posted on April 16, 2025