SATHI (Sophisticated Analytical & Technical Help Institutes)

What is SATHI?

SATHI; Sophisticated Analytical and Technical Help Institutes, is a scheme of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) under the Ministry of Science and Technology. SATHI creates shared, professionally managed science and technology facilities that hold major analytical instruments and advanced manufacturing equipment which individual colleges, startups and small companies cannot realistically buy on their own.

According to the DST portal, SATHI centres are meant to deliver services "with efficiency, accessibility and transparency of highest order under one roof" to industry, startups and academia. Five SATHI facilities were operating as of December 2024, hosted at IIT Delhi, IIT Kharagpur, BHU Varanasi, IIT Hyderabad and BITS Pilani.

SATHI is not a personal benefit scheme. No individual receives money under it. DST funds institutions to build and run the facilities; individuals benefit by using those facilities at nominal published charges.

Key objectives

• Provide shared, professionally managed access to high-end scientific instruments across the country.
• Establish facilities for fabrication, rapid prototyping, material testing and device characterisation.
• Cut duplicate purchases of expensive instruments by pooling them in regional centres.
• Run training programmes and workshops on instrument use.
• Train technicians to maintain and operate advanced equipment.

Main features

• 75:25 cost sharing between DST and the host institution or consortium.
• 80 per cent of available instrument time must go to external users; only 20 per cent may be kept for internal users.
• Services are accessed through the I-STEM portal (istem.gov.in) on nominal payment.
• Collectively, SATHI centres analyse roughly 100,000 samples a year and serve over 32,000 users, contributing to around 2,200 research papers annually.
• User mix is approximately 60 per cent academia, 25 per cent MSMEs and startups, 15 per cent industry.

Who is eligible for SATHI?

SATHI has two distinct groups, institutions that host a centre, and users who book time at one.

An institution can propose to host a SATHI centre if:

• It is a government or non-government academic institution, or a DSIR recognised R&D centre or organisation.
• It can commit its 25 per cent share of the facility cost under the cost-sharing model.
• It can guarantee 80 per cent external user access and professional management of the facility.
• A DST call for proposals is open, DST has favoured consortium proposals since financial year 2022-23.

A user can access a SATHI facility if:

• They are a researcher from an academic institution or university, a national laboratory, a startup or MSME, a manufacturing or engineering company, or an R&D lab.
• They register on the I-STEM portal and pay the published charge for the instrument and test.

You cannot apply if:

• You are an individual seeking a grant, stipend or scholarship: SATHI has no such component and no individual funding route.
• You are an individual proposing to host a facility; only institutions and consortia can submit proposals.
• Your institution cannot meet the 25 per cent cost share, or cannot commit to the 80 per cent external-access rule.
• No call for proposals is currently open at DST.

What documents are required for SATHI?

How to apply to host a SATHI centre

1. Watch the DST website (dst.gov.in) and the India Science, Technology and Innovation portal for a SATHI call for proposals. Proposals are accepted only during an open call.
2. Confirm your institution's eligibility: government or non-government academic institution, or a DSIR recognised R&D centre or organisation.
3. Form a consortium if applicable. DST has implemented SATHI through consortium approaches since financial year 2022-23, so a single-institution proposal may be weaker than a regional consortium.
4. Prepare the proposal in the DST SATHI proforma, listing the instruments sought, their cost, projected external and internal usage, staffing plan and the training programmes the centre will run.
5. Obtain a written commitment from the host institution to meet its 25 per cent share under the 75:25 model, and to reserve 80 per cent of instrument time for external users.
6. Submit the proposal through the route named in the call — DST's online project management system at onlinedst.gov.in, or the email address given in the advertisement.
7. Respond to the DST expert committee review, which assesses regional need, equipment justification and the institution's ability to run a professionally managed shared facility.

How to use a SATHI facility as a researcher or startup

1. Register for an account on the I-STEM portal at istem.gov.in.
2. Search for the instrument or test you need, for example, electron microscopy, spectroscopy, material testing or rapid prototyping.
3. Identify which SATHI centre holds it: IIT Delhi, IIT Kharagpur, BHU Varanasi, IIT Hyderabad or BITS Pilani.
4. Raise a booking request with sample details and the analysis you want.
5. Pay the published nominal charge for the instrument and test.
6. Send or carry your samples to the facility on the confirmed slot, and collect the analysis report.

Each SATHI facility publishes its own charges and turnaround times, and users can contact the facility head directly for procedures.

How much does SATHI cost a user?

SATHI facilities operate on a nominal payment basis rather than free access. Charges are set and published by each centre for each instrument and test, and are typically far below commercial testing laboratory rates, because DST has already met 75 per cent of the capital cost of the equipment.

DST has not published a single nationwide rate card, the charge depends on the instrument, the test and the user category. Check the specific SATHI facility's listing on I-STEM for its current rates.

What has SATHI delivered so far?

According to DST, the five operating SATHI centres together:

• Analyse approximately 100,000 samples a year.
• Serve over 32,000 users.
• Contribute to roughly 2,200 research papers annually.

The user split, 60 per cent academia, 25 per cent MSMEs and startups, 15 per cent industry, shows that the 80 per cent external-access rule is doing the work it was designed to do, since a majority of usage comes from outside the host institutions.

Common reasons SATHI proposals and bookings fail

• An individual submits a proposal, only institutions and consortia are eligible to host.
• Proposal submitted outside an open call, which DST does not consider.
• No credible commitment to the institution's 25 per cent share.
• Equipment duplicating what an existing SATHI or other national facility already provides in the same region.
• For users, no I-STEM registration, or booking an instrument that the chosen centre does not hold.
• Incomplete sample details or unpaid charges, which stall a booking.

Help and contact for SATHI

• DST R&D Infrastructure Division: 011-26590452
• Head, R&D Infrastructure Division: Dr Pratishtha Pandey, Scientist G, email pratishtha[dot]tp[at]nic[dot]in
• Scheme page: dst.gov.in; search for "SATHI"
• Booking portal: istem.gov.in

Using a SATHI centre requires no agent or intermediary. Bookings are made directly on I-STEM or with the facility, and charges are paid to the host institution against a receipt.