Innovations for Defence Excellence Documents Required: Complete Checklist

What documents do you need to apply for iDEX?

An iDEX application needs a core set: the certificate of incorporation, PAN of the entity, a technical proposal with milestones, a Product Development Budget (PDB) breakup, and the entity's bank account details. Two documents are conditional on how you apply; DPIIT startup recognition (startup route) or the Udyam Registration certificate (MSME route), and audited financials are sought at due diligence for larger grants. This checklist explains what each proves. The Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) pillar covers the SPARK, iDEX Prime and ADITI grant ceilings.

The complete iDEX document checklist

Prepare these before you apply against a live challenge on idex.gov.in.

1. Certificate of incorporation: mandatory for companies and LLPs registered under the Companies Act, 2013 or the LLP Act, 2008. It establishes that the applicant is an Indian-registered entity.
2. PAN of the entity: mandatory. Used for the grant agreement and for disbursement of milestone tranches.
3. Technical proposal and prototype plan, mandatory. Must set out the proposed solution, milestones, timelines and the Product Development Budget, mapped to the specific problem statement.
4. Product Development Budget (PDB) breakup: mandatory, and decisive for ADITI, where the grant is capped at 50 per cent of the PDB (ceiling Rs 25 crore). A line-item breakup is expected.
5. Bank account details of the entity, mandatory. Milestone-based grant tranches are released to this account.

Conditional documents (route-dependent)

• DPIIT startup recognition certificate; required if you apply in the startup category. Individual innovators may apply, but must incorporate and obtain recognition before the grant agreement is signed.
• Udyam Registration certificate — required if you apply as an MSME under the MSMED Act, 2006.

Sought at due diligence

• Audited financial statements; not required upfront, but sought at the due-diligence stage for the larger grants under iDEX Prime and ADITI.

What each document proves

The iDEX file answers three questions. Are you an eligible Indian entity?, incorporation certificate, plus DPIIT recognition or Udyam depending on your route. Is the project fundable and credible?, the technical proposal, milestones and the PDB breakup, which the High Powered Screening Committee weighs for innovation, feasibility, relevance and commercial viability. Can the grant be paid?; PAN and the entity bank account, which anchor the grant agreement and the milestone tranches.

The PDB is the document that decides your grant

For ADITI especially, the Product Development Budget is not a formality. Because the ADITI grant cannot exceed 50 per cent of the PDB or Rs 25 crore, whichever is lower, a full Rs 25 crore grant implies a PDB of at least Rs 50 crore. An unsupported or padded budget makes the application not eligible for the amount claimed. Build the PDB line by line, and make each cost traceable.

Common document mistakes

• Applying as an individual and expecting to stay one, an individual innovator must formalise as a startup and obtain DPIIT recognition before the grant agreement is executed.
• Choosing the wrong route's document, submitting Udyam when applying in the startup category, or DPIIT recognition when applying as an MSME.
• A vague PDB with no line-item breakup, which is fatal for ADITI's 50 per cent cap.
• A proposal that does not map to an open challenge, iDEX funds against problem statements, not general research, so the technical proposal must tie to a live DISC, ADITI, Thematic or Open Challenge statement.

A note on the five-contract cap

Before you invest effort in documents, confirm you are within the limit: an entity may hold a maximum of five active iDEX contracts at a time, of which not more than one may be an ADITI contract. Entities sharing common founders or promoters are counted together, so splitting applications across related companies does not raise the cap.

FAQ

Do I upload documents on the portal? Yes: supporting documents are attached to the online application on idex.gov.in against the challenge you are applying to.

Is the PDB needed for SPARK too? The technical proposal and budget are required across tracks; the 50 per cent PDB cap is specific to ADITI.

Is there any fee to file? No. All iDEX applications are free to file on idex.gov.in, and no consultant can secure a grant on your behalf.

For grant ceilings, the evaluation funnel and the full application walkthrough, see the iDEX pillar guide.