NIDHI-PRAYAS

What is NIDHI-PRAYAS?

NIDHI-PRAYAS; Promotion and Acceleration of Young and Aspiring Innovators and Startups; is a prototyping grant of the Technology Translation & Innovation Division of the Department of Science & Technology (DST). NIDHI-PRAYAS sits under NIDHI, the National Initiative for Developing and Harnessing Innovations, and is delivered through incubators designated as PRAYAS Centres.

According to the NIDHI-PRAYAS 2.0 programme guidelines issued by DST in March 2026, the programme exists to close a specific gap: there is substantial support in India for research and for commercialisation, but very little for the early-stage prototyping in between, where innovators often run out of money and give up. NIDHI-PRAYAS is positioned as a pre-incubation grant; support before formal incubation begins.

Key objectives of NIDHI-PRAYAS

• Translate innovative ideas into functional prototypes.
• Give innovators a platform for rapid experimentation and iterative development.
• Encourage indigenous solutions to local and global problems, aligned with the Atmanirbhar Bharat Mission and Viksit Bharat @ 2047.
• Strengthen the pipeline of high-quality startups entering incubators.
• Address problem statements identified by government ministries through technological interventions.

Main features

• Grants of up to Rs 20 lakh per innovator at a PRAYAS Centre (PC) and up to Rs 40 lakh at an Advance PRAYAS Centre (APC) focused on deep tech.
• Project term of 15 months, extendable by 6 months with committee approval.
• Supported innovators are called PRAYASEEs.
• Access to a DST NIDHI Maker Bhavan at the host incubator. A fabrication lab, pitching lounge, IPR and legal helpdesk and co-working space in a facility of at least 3,000 sq ft.
• The national Programme Management Unit is SINE, IIT Bombay.

Who is eligible for NIDHI-PRAYAS?

You can apply if:

• You are an individual innovator who does not yet have a registered startup, or you represent an early-stage startup.
• You are at least 18 years old on the date of application and can produce proof of age and Indian citizenship, passport, Aadhaar or Voter ID. For a startup, this applies to the co-founders.
• You have clear ownership, or a licensed right to use, the intellectual property behind the proposed prototype.
• Your proposed product is a tangible, physical product grounded in science or technology, buildable and testable within 15 months.
• For a startup: the entity is incorporated in India for not more than 5 years, at least 51% of equity is held by Indian citizens, and annual turnover has not exceeded Rs 1 crore in any financial year since incorporation.
• If you are employed or a full-time student at an academic or R&D institution, you can produce a No Objection Certificate permitting the project and vesting IP with you or your startup.

You cannot apply if:

• You are under 18 or not an Indian citizen.
• You have already availed NIDHI PRAYAS 2.0 once — the grant is a one-time benefit per innovator or startup.
• Your product is not a physical product, pure software, apps or service ideas with no tangible hardware output are not eligible.
• Your product has already crossed the MVP stage; the grant is a proof-of-concept grant, not growth capital.
• Your startup is older than 5 years, has under 51% Indian equity, or has crossed Rs 1 crore turnover in any financial year.
• You are seeking or holding parallel NIDHI-EIR support for the same or a similar idea.
• You have cumulatively received more than Rs 40 lakh in NIDHI PRAYAS grant funding, counting PRAYAS 1.0.

Applicants who received NIDHI PRAYAS 1.0 funding may apply to PRAYAS 2.0 only at an Advance PRAYAS Centre, for a maximum of Rs 40 lakh, and only with a deep-tech idea. Someone funded by an APC cannot then draw a PC grant, though someone funded by a PC may approach an APC for the balance up to Rs 40 lakh.

What documents are required for NIDHI-PRAYAS?

How to apply for NIDHI-PRAYAS

1. Check the list of PRAYAS Centres (PCs) and Advance PRAYAS Centres (APCs) published on nidhi-prayas.org and identify a Centre suited to your technology domain and location.
2. Watch for that Centre's call for applications: Centres announce periodic calls rather than accepting applications continuously.
3. Decide whether to apply to a PC (grant up to Rs 20 lakh) or an APC (deep-tech, grant up to Rs 40 lakh). First-time applicants may apply at either.
4. Fill the common application template on the NIDHI PRAYAS portal, setting out the idea, the physical prototype to be built, the technology readiness level today, the 15-month development plan and the budget.
5. Upload proof of age and Indian citizenship, evidence of IP ownership or right to use, the prior-funding disclosure undertaking, and: where applicable, the NOC from your employer or institution and your startup incorporation, shareholding and turnover documents.
6. If you are applying as a team, record the agreement on who the lead innovator is; the funds are transferred to the lead innovator's account after selection.
7. Face the Centre's screening and evaluation, which typically includes a pitch before the PRAYAS Local Monitoring Committee (PLMC).
8. On selection, sign the standardised agreement with the Centre and receive the grant in tranches against milestones, along with access to the DST NIDHI Maker Bhavan facilities and mentoring.

The decision of the PLMC to approve, reject or reduce the grant amount is final and binding on the innovator.

How much benefit does NIDHI-PRAYAS provide?

DST provides up to Rs 2.00 crore per annum to each PRAYAS Centre and up to Rs 4.00 crore per annum to each Advance PRAYAS Centre for onward disbursal, and each Centre is expected to support around ten innovators a year.

Sustenance allowance. A PRAYASEE with no other source of income may be allowed a sustenance allowance of up to 20% of the approved grant for the project duration. This is discretionary, recommended by the PLMC, and requires full-time engagement with no other formal employment.

Non-cash support. Selected innovators get access to the host incubator's fabrication lab, pitching lounge, IPR and legal assistance helpdesk, meeting space and co-working area, plus mentoring, technical guidance, financial advice and industry connections.

IP protection. Intellectual property generated under the programme vests with the innovator or startup unless separately agreed, and the Host Institution or Centre cannot demand equity or IP ownership as a precondition for support.

What happens after the NIDHI-PRAYAS grant

Each PRAYASEE project has a maximum duration of 15 months, covering end-to-end prototype design, development and validation, extendable by 6 months with PLMC approval. Individual innovators receiving the grant are encouraged to formally incorporate as a DPIIT-registered startup within 6 to 8 months of receiving support.

DST expects supported innovators to move technologies beyond TRL 4 towards TRL 7, file IP, register startups and become capable of raising money from venture capitalists, angel investors or other funding routes such as the RDI Scheme.

Support may be discontinued for non-achievement of milestones, misutilisation of funds or loss of project viability, and unutilised funds are recoverable. For an incomplete project, the PRAYASEE must return the unutilised grant amount.

Help and contact for NIDHI-PRAYAS

• Programme Management Unit: Society for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (SINE), IIT Bombay to 022-25767016, Ext 520 / 519
• DST NIDHI programme page: nidhi.dst.gov.in
• Centre list and innovator information: nidhi-prayas.org

Apply directly to a PRAYAS Centre through the official portal. No consultant can guarantee selection: approval rests entirely with the PRAYAS Local Monitoring Committee of the Centre you apply to.