PRISM Category-1: Proof of Concept / Prototypes / Models

What is PRISM Category-1?

PRISM: Promoting Innovations in Individuals, Start-ups and MSMEs; is a scheme of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR), Ministry of Science and Technology. Category-1 is its first rung: it helps an individual innovator take an idea from paper to a proof of concept, prototype or working model.

According to DSIR, PRISM Category-1 supports projects that cost up to about Rs 5 lakh, funding up to Rs 2,00,000 or 90% of the total project cost, whichever is lower. The scheme deliberately targets the earliest, riskiest stage of innovation. The point at which a good idea often dies for want of a small amount of money to build and test a first working version.

Main features

• Aimed at individual innovators, including students, not established companies.
• Grant of up to Rs 2,00,000 or 90% of project cost for a proof of concept/prototype/model.
• Delivered through DSIR-designated PRISM outreach centres, several of them CSIR laboratories, which also mentor applicants.
• Priority to socially useful areas such as green technology, clean energy, affordable healthcare, and water and waste management.

Who is eligible for PRISM Category-1?

You can apply if:

• You are an Indian citizen with an original idea, invention or innovation that you want to develop into a proof of concept or prototype.
• You are an individual innovator: students are explicitly welcome.
• Your proposed project fits the Category-1 cost band (up to roughly Rs 5 lakh) and can be built into a demonstrable model.

You cannot apply (under Category-1) if:

• You are seeking funds to scale up or commercialise an already-proven product, that belongs to the later, higher-value PRISM category, not Category-1.
• You are applying purely as a large established company for routine business expenses; Category-1 is an individual-innovator grant.
• Your proposal is only a concept on paper with no plan to build and demonstrate a prototype.

A registered firm is not needed at this stage. The emphasis is on the strength and originality of the idea and a realistic plan to build a first working version.

What documents are required for PRISM Category-1?

How to apply for PRISM Category-1

1. Identify a DSIR-designated PRISM outreach centre near you; many are CSIR laboratories or technology institutions — using the DSIR website (dsir.gov.in).
2. Obtain the PRISM Category-1 application form and guidelines from the outreach centre or the DSIR portal, and prepare a project proposal describing your idea, the prototype you will build and the estimated cost.
3. Submit the form and proposal to the outreach centre, along with proof of identity/citizenship and bank details.
4. The outreach centre mentors and appraises your proposal, and recommends viable cases to DSIR for sanction.
5. On approval, the grant is released; up to Rs 2,00,000 or 90% of the project cost: to help you build and demonstrate the proof of concept.

Because Category-1 is delivered through outreach centres rather than a single online form, the exact submission channel depends on the centre handling your region.

How much does PRISM Category-1 provide?

Category-1 funds up to Rs 2,00,000 or 90% of the total project cost, whichever is lower, for projects up to about Rs 5 lakh. The money is meant for the real costs of building a first working model, materials, fabrication, testing, and related project expenses, not for salaries, overheads or marketing.

The proof-of-concept grant is the entry point into PRISM. An innovator who successfully demonstrates a concept with this support may then be considered for the scheme's higher category, which offers larger assistance to develop the prototype further towards a product.

Help and where to verify

• Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR), Technology Bhavan, New Delhi, board line 011-26567373.
• PRISM guidelines, the list of outreach centres and application forms are published on dsir.gov.in.

PRISM's funding bands and category rules are revised from time to time, so confirm the current Category-1 ceiling and the nearest outreach centre on the DSIR website before applying, and treat the figures above as the published indicative amounts.

How to check your application status

PRISM Category-1 does not run on a single centralised online tracking portal the way some DBT-based schemes do, because appraisal happens at the outreach centre level before a case is forwarded to DSIR. Use whichever of these matches how you applied:

• Contact the outreach centre directly. Since you submitted your form and project proposal there, the outreach centre is the first and fastest point of contact. Ask for an update by phone or in person, quoting your application form number and the date you submitted it.
• Ask whether your case has been forwarded to DSIR. Outreach centres mentor and appraise proposals before recommending viable ones to DSIR for sanction. If the centre confirms your file has moved to DSIR, your next status check should be with DSIR, New Delhi rather than the centre.
• Call DSIR headquarters. For cases already forwarded, DSIR's board line (011-26567373) can confirm whether a sanction decision has been made, though a general helpline call is unlikely to give you file-level detail without your application reference.
• Check dsir.gov.in for PRISM updates. DSIR periodically posts PRISM-related notices, sanction lists or scheme updates on its website; this is worth checking if the outreach centre is unresponsive.
• Keep your submission proof. Since there is no single online application ID system across all outreach centres, retain the acknowledgement or receipt given at submission. It is often the only reference the centre or DSIR can use to locate your file quickly.

Because the exact tracking mechanism depends on which outreach centre handled your case, plan on following up in person or by phone rather than expecting a portal-based status page.

Common reasons for rejection

• The proposal is only an idea on paper, with no plan to build a working prototype. PRISM Category-1 funds the act of building and demonstrating a proof of concept, not research papers or concept notes alone. Fix: rewrite the proposal around a concrete build plan, listing what physical prototype or model will exist at the end of the funded period.
• The project cost estimate exceeds the Category-1 band. Category-1 is meant for projects costing up to roughly Rs 5 lakh; proposals that are really scale-up or commercialisation efforts belong to PRISM's later, higher-value category, not Category-1. Fix: scope the proposal down to a proof-of-concept or working-model stage, or apply under the correct category for your project's actual stage.
• The idea is not original or is a close copy of an existing product. Outreach centre mentors appraise novelty as part of screening. Fix: clearly explain what is new or different about your idea compared to what already exists, and be ready to answer questions on this during appraisal.
• Budget items fall outside what the grant is meant to cover. The grant is meant for real project costs such as materials, fabrication and testing, not for salaries, overheads or marketing. Fix: itemise the cost estimate so it maps to material, fabrication and testing costs, and drop unrelated expense heads before submission.
• Missing or inconsistent identity and citizenship proof. Since the grant is restricted to Indian citizens, proposals with unclear or mismatched identity documents get stalled or rejected at screening. Fix: ensure the name and details on your identity proof match exactly what is written on the application form.
• Applying as an established company for routine business expenses. Category-1 is an individual-innovator grant; applications framed as ordinary company funding requests rather than an individual's original-idea project are not what this category is for. Fix: if you are affiliated with a company, frame the application around your personal innovation and idea, not the company's general operations.
• Incomplete bank account details. Since the grant is released to a bank account on sanction, missing or incorrectly filled bank details can hold up or derail an otherwise approved case. Fix: double-check account number, IFSC and account holder name before submission, and make sure the account is active.
• Weak or missing mentoring engagement with the outreach centre. Because outreach centres appraise and recommend cases to DSIR based partly on their own assessment of the applicant, proposals submitted without any interaction with the centre's mentors are harder to get championed forward. Fix: engage with the outreach centre early, attend any review or discussion they offer, and incorporate their feedback into your proposal before it goes to DSIR.