Tamil Nadu Tops NITI Aayog’s India S&T Scoreboard in Research Publications

Tamil Nadu was the leading state in terms of publishing research in 2024-25 according to the India Science and Technology (S&T) Scoreboard prepared by NITI Aayog. Up next are Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. Tamil Nadu also led in the number of patents applied for. Maharashtra and Karnataka completed the top 3. The interactive scoreboard combines information regarding research, innovation, patents and science and technology infrastructure in each state and Union Territory of India to help create evidence-based policies.

India S&T Scoreboard – State Ranking

According to the data published, the top 3 states for research publications are,

Rank	State	Research Publications
1	Tamil Nadu	44,611
2	Uttar Pradesh	29,298
3	Maharashtra	28,947

Tamil Nadu was also the leading state for patents with Maharashtra and Karnataka completing the top 3.

The scoreboard provides information on each state and Union Territory so that governments can compare how they are performing in terms of science and technology.

What is the India Science and Technology Scoreboard?

The India Science and Technology (S&T) Scoreboard is an interactive platform created by NITI Aayog to give an overview of India’s science, technology and innovation landscape.

It collates data from various sources so that each state and Union Territory can be compared. It has been created so that evidence-based policies can be produced.

Key Elements

The scoreboard includes information on science and technology infrastructure and outputs.

Component	Coverage
Science and Technology Ecosystem	Higher Education Institutions, R&D Institutions, Deep Tech Startups and Incubators
Science and Technology Outputs	Research publications, Patents
Quality of Research	Impact, Collaboration, Open Access
Priority Areas	Indicators within chosen research areas
Sectors	Academia, Government R&D Labs, Industry
Compare States	Compare states and UTs side by side.
State Profiles	Policies, Initiatives and Best Practices in each state.
Track Data	See trends over many years.

The scoreboard does not just include data on quantity of research but also quality.

Why is the India S&T Scoreboard important?

The scoreboard aims to overcome challenges caused by the lack of cohesive science and technology data across different institutions and government departments.

Major aims of the scoreboard are,

• Evidence Based Policies – Provide reliable data to help with policy decisions.
• Cooperative and Competitive Federalism – Help states learn from each other.
• Development of Research – Help identify where research and innovation strengths and gaps are.
• Collaboration between Institutions – Help identify the contribution made by state Universities, State Science and Technology Councils and R&D institutions.
• Promote Innovation – Help states improve policies relating to research, patents, startups and technology.