Scheme for Goa Rajya Vidnyanik Puraskar

What is the Goa Rajya Vidnyanik Puraskar?

Goa Rajya Vidnyanik Puraskar is a state science award instituted by the Department of Science & Technology and Waste Management (DS&T & WM), Government of Goa, and administered through the Goa State Innovation Council (GSInC). The name translates as the Goa State Scientific Award.

The award has a specific character that distinguishes it from an academic prize. It is given to Goan innovators and scientists who have implemented their ideas into innovations; not to people who have published well, but to people whose work has crossed from concept into a functioning hardware or software product. The scheme's stated objects are to recognise excellence in science, technology and innovation, to drive the innovation agenda in the state, and to harness Goa's core competencies, local resources and capabilities to create new innovations, while encouraging scientists, innovators, and young talent in universities, educational institutes, MSMEs and research and development institutes.

According to the scheme notification published in the Official Gazette by the Goa Government Printing Press, three awards of Rs 2,00,000 each are given in every financial year, one each in the categories of Innovation, Environment and Societal impact. The prize money is deposited directly into the recipient's bank account.

Who is eligible for the Goa Rajya Vidnyanik Puraskar?

You can apply if:

• You are a student, startup, innovator, research faculty member or scientist. The award is designed for Goan innovators and scientists across all these categories.
• You have been a resident of Goa for the last 15 years, certified by the competent authority.
• Your project relates to a hardware-based or software-based product innovation.
• Your idea is registered under the Virtual Innovation Register (VIR) as a New Idea.
• You provide a Letter of Intent (LOI) where the proposed idea or project is associated with industry or the Government.

Preferred focus sectors. Proposals should preferably fall within green technology, clean energy, industrially utilisable smart materials, waste to wealth, affordable healthcare, water and sewage management, renewable energy sources, electric vehicles, smart cities, agri-tech, med-tech, healthcare tech, digital media and ITES. This is a preference, not an absolute bar, but a proposal well outside these sectors starts at a disadvantage.

You cannot apply if:

• You have not been resident in Goa for the last 15 years. This is the scheme's strictest filter, and a residency certificate from the competent authority is mandatory.
• Your project is not a hardware or software product innovation. A pure research paper, a policy proposal or a service concept without a product does not fit the criterion.
• Your idea is not registered on the Virtual Innovation Register as a New Idea. Registration on the VIR is a precondition, not a step within the application.
• You have already availed of this scheme once. The award may be availed only once by any applicant.
• Your industry or Government-linked project has no Letter of Intent.

What does the award carry?

The award is subject to provision in the annual budget of the Department of Science and Technology and Waste Management, so the three awards in a given year depend on the budget head being funded.

Conditions attached to disbursal. The beneficiary must submit a pre-receipt for the amount to the Director, DS&T & WM. The Goa State Innovation Council then forwards the decisions and results declared by the Expert Committee, duly approved by the Chairman of the Council, along with the pre-receipt and the bank account details obtained from the beneficiaries, so that the award money can be released directly into the account.

What documents are required?

At the application stage

At the disbursal stage

The proof of concept or minimum viable product requirement is the practical heart of the application. The award is for innovators who have implemented their ideas, and video evidence of a working prototype carries more weight in this scheme than a well-written concept note.

How to apply for the Goa Rajya Vidnyanik Puraskar

1. Register your idea on the Virtual Innovation Register at goastateinnovationcouncil.com/virtual-innovation-register. Click "Registration" on the homepage, fill in all mandatory fields and verify your email ID and mobile number by OTP if prompted. The idea must be on the VIR as a New Idea before you can go further.
2. Log in with the credentials you created and navigate to the online form for the Goa Rajya Vidnyanik Puraskar.
3. Fill in all mandatory fields and upload all mandatory documents in the specified format and size, the residency certificate, your resume, the Non-Disclosure Agreement, video links or proof of concept, letters of recommendation, and the supporting documentation on impact. Ensure every document is clear, legible and in an accepted file format.
4. Review everything carefully, correct anything that needs correcting, then click "Submit". You will receive a confirmation message.
5. Await the Technical Advisory Committee's scrutiny and, if shortlisted, prepare for a presentation before the Expert Committee.

What happens after you apply?

Scrutiny and shortlisting. The Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) for the Goa Rajya Vidnyanik Puraskar, consisting of a Chairman and 3 expert members, scrutinises every submitted application and shortlists the eligible ones for presentation.

Final presentation. Shortlisted applicants are invited to present before the Expert Committee, which comprises a Chairman and two members nominated by the Government. The Committee judges the shortlisted applicants on the basis of the progress that has been achieved, or that has a high probability of being achieved. This wording gives some room to an innovation that is close to but not yet at commercial deployment.

Results and payment. The Goa State Innovation Council forwards the Expert Committee's decisions, duly approved by the Chairman of the Council, to the Department of Science & Technology and Waste Management, along with the beneficiaries' pre-receipts and bank account details. The award money is then released directly into the account.

Why applications fail

• Residency short of 15 years. This is the most common disqualification, and no relaxation is published. The certificate must come from the competent authority.
• Idea not on the Virtual Innovation Register. VIR registration as a New Idea is a precondition, and an application without it is not considered.
• No proof of concept. An idea without video evidence, a proof of concept or a minimum viable product does not meet the "implemented their ideas to innovations" test at the core of the award.
• Not a product innovation. The project must relate to a hardware or software product. Research findings alone do not qualify.
• Missing Letter of Intent. Where the project is tied to industry or the Government, the LOI is required.
• Previous winner reapplying. The scheme may be availed only once.
• Thin impact documentation. The Expert Committee assesses technological inventiveness, societal impact, scope of commercialisation and the innovator's influence on others, and an application that addresses only the technology leaves three of four criteria unevidenced.

Where to get help and how to raise a grievance

• Goa State Innovation Council (GSInC). The implementing body, and the host of the Virtual Innovation Register at goastateinnovationcouncil.com. This is where applications are registered, submitted and tracked.
• Department of Science & Technology and Waste Management, Government of Goa — the department that funds the award and releases the prize money through its Director.
• Secretary (Science & Technology & Waste Management); any grievance or dispute arising in the implementation of the scheme is referred to the Secretary, whose decision is final and binding on all concerned parties.
• Official Gazette notification, the full scheme text is published by the Goa Government Printing Press at goaprintingpress.gov.in.

The scheme remains in force for 3 years from the date of its notification in the Official Gazette, and awards in any year are subject to budget provision. There is no application fee.

How to check your application status

The Goa Rajya Vidnyanik Puraskar does not run a separate case-tracking number or SMS alert system. Because the whole application lives on the Virtual Innovation Register, checking status means going back to the same portal and the same implementing body.

1. Log back into the Virtual Innovation Register at goastateinnovationcouncil.com/virtual-innovation-register using the credentials you created at registration. Your submitted idea and application should still show under your profile; if the portal exposes a stage or status field against your entry, that is the first place to look.
2. Check your registered email and phone for any correspondence from the Goa State Innovation Council. Scrutiny by the Technical Advisory Committee and any call to present before the Expert Committee is communicated directly to applicants rather than posted on a public tracker, so a missed call or an email gone to spam is a common reason applicants believe there has been no movement.
3. Contact the Goa State Innovation Council directly through goastateinnovationcouncil.com if the portal shows no update and a reasonable time has passed since you submitted the idea and supporting documents. Quote the idea title and the date you registered it on the VIR so the Council can locate your file.
4. If you were shortlisted and presented before the Expert Committee, the result reaches you through the Council rather than the portal. The Committee's decisions are forwarded to the Department of Science & Technology and Waste Management along with the pre-receipt and bank details, so a shortlisted applicant should expect a follow-up request for these documents before any payment status becomes relevant.
5. If a grievance arises at any stage, it is referred to the Secretary (Science & Technology & Waste Management), whose decision on the dispute is final. This route is for a disputed outcome or a procedural complaint, not for routine status enquiries, which should go to the Council first.

Because award numbers depend on the annual budget provision, an applicant who hears nothing for an extended period should also confirm with the Council whether the award has been notified for that financial year at all, rather than assume their individual application has stalled.