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.