Scheme for Assistance for Start Ups/ Innovation: Assistance to Enroll and Participate for Acceleration Program

What is the acceleration programme assistance for Gujarat startups?

Assistance to Enroll and Participate for Acceleration Program is a component of the Scheme for Assistance for Start Ups / Innovation, notified by the Industries and Mines Department, Government of Gujarat, under the Gujarat Industrial Policy 2020 through Government Resolution No. MIS-102020-327049-I dated 1 September 2020. The scheme came into force on 7 August 2020 for five years, and the Startup Gujarat Cell inside the Industries Commissionerate runs it.

An acceleration programme is a fixed-duration, cohort-based programme where a startup gets structured mentoring, investor access and often a demo day. Good programmes charge fees, and the ones worth attending are frequently outside Gujarat or outside India. This component exists to remove the travel-and-fee barrier. According to the Gujarat Industrial Policy 2020 document, the policy supports startups up to Rs 3 lakh to attend other national or international acceleration programmes, and separately supports the organising of acceleration programmes inside the state.

The component sits alongside the rest of the startup package in the same GR: sustenance allowance of Rs 20,000 per month for one year, rising to Rs 25,000 per month where the startup has at least one woman co-founder; seed support up to Rs 30 lakh for product development, marketing and professional assistance, with an additional grant of up to Rs 10 lakh for startups with significant social impact; soft skill assistance up to Rs 1 lakh per startup; support of up to 75% of expenditure capped at Rs 5 lakh for promotional events, rising to 90% for events specific to women entrepreneurship; and mentoring assistance of Rs 1 lakh per startup to Nodal Institutions, capped at Rs 15 lakh a year per institution.

Who is eligible for the acceleration programme assistance?

You can apply if:

• You are an individual or group of individuals with an innovative idea or concept that has been legally registered as an LLP, partnership firm or private limited company.
• The entity is less than 10 years old from the date of incorporation or registration.
• Turnover has not exceeded Rs 100 crore in any previous year.
• The entity is working towards innovation, development or improvement of products, processes or services, or is a scalable business model with high potential for employment generation or wealth creation.
• An approved Nodal Institution recommends the startup. A Nodal Institution is one approved or sanctioned by the State Level supported Committee to nurture startups through resources, mentorship, networking and common services such as infrastructure, equipment and facilities.
• The project is innovative. It introduces new technology, or changes existing technology through radical or incremental changes that result in novel products, processes or services.

The scheme is sector-agnostic. Science, technology, engineering, agriculture, healthcare and any other branch are covered.

You cannot apply if:

• The entity was formed by splitting or restructuring an existing business; such an entity is not treated as a startup under this scheme.
• The startup is already availing benefits under another startup scheme of the Government of Gujarat.
• The entity has crossed 10 years since incorporation, or its turnover has crossed Rs 100 crore in any previous year.
• No approved Nodal Institution is willing to recommend the startup.

Startups covered by the Student Startup and Innovation Policy (SSIP) are explicitly still eligible for this assistance, so an SSIP-supported team does not have to choose between the two.

What documents are required?

The Industries Commissionerate publishes the acceleration programme application form, the feedback form, the supporting documents for the feedback form and the general supporting documents list under the "Scheme for Assistance for Startups / Innovation" section of its Industrial Policy 2020 page.

How to apply for acceleration programme assistance

1. Get in touch with an approved Nodal Institution and have your project evaluated. Its recommendation is a precondition for the application.
2. Open startup.gujarat.gov.in and click Register at the top right. Enter your email ID, verify the details and submit to create the account.
3. Log in and complete the Common Application Form on the dashboard with the startup's incorporation, promoter, project and financial details, then sign up.
4. Click the Apply Now icon on the dashboard, select Assistance to Enroll and Participate for Acceleration Program from the list of schemes, and fill in the application details.
5. Upload the incorporation certificate, Nodal Institution recommendation, accelerator selection or enrolment letter with the fee structure, bank details and turnover declaration, then submit.
6. Track the application on the dashboard. The Startup Gujarat Cell scrutinises it and places recommended proposals before the sanctioning committee.
7. After attending the programme, file the feedback form with its supporting documents and the expenditure proofs so that the assistance can be released.

How to apply offline

1. Download the acceleration programme application form and the supporting documents list from the Startups / Innovation section of ic.gujarat.gov.in/industrial-policy2020.aspx.
2. Attach the Nodal Institution recommendation, incorporation papers, accelerator selection letter and expenditure proofs.
3. Submit the set to the Startup Gujarat Cell, Office of Industries Commissionerate, Block No. 1, 3rd Floor, Udyog Bhavan, Sector 11, Gandhinagar 382010.

The Startup Gujarat portal also publishes a user manual that walks through registration, the Common Application Form and the scheme application screens; it is worth reading before you start, because the Common Application Form has to be complete before any scheme application can be opened.

How to check your application status

1. Log in to startup.gujarat.gov.in with your registered email ID and password.
2. Open the Dashboard, where submitted applications and their current stage are listed.
3. If the status does not move for a long stretch, call the Startup Gujarat Cell on 1800-233-0616 or 079-23252588, or write to icstup@gujarat.gov.in quoting your application number.

Why applications get rejected

• No Nodal Institution recommendation, or a recommendation from an institution that is not on the approved list.
• Entity formed by splitting or restructuring an existing business, which does not qualify as a startup here.
• Already availing another Gujarat startup scheme for the same purpose.
• Age or turnover breach, more than 10 years since incorporation, or turnover above Rs 100 crore in a previous year.
• Common Application Form incomplete on the portal, which blocks the scheme application.
• No proof of selection by the accelerator, or a fee structure that does not match the claim.
• Feedback form not filed after the programme, along with its supporting documents, which holds up release.
• Project not innovative in the sense the GR defines. The definition turns on new technology or a change in existing technology producing novel products, processes or services.

Key dates

• 7 August 2020 — the Scheme for Assistance for Start Ups / Innovation comes into force.
• 1 September 2020, GR No. MIS-102020-327049-I issued.
• 6 August 2025: end of the notified five-year operative period.

Gujarat has since published the Viksit Gujarat Industrial Policy 2026 on the Industries Commissionerate website. Because no extension notification for the startup scheme appears on the Industrial Policy 2020 page, a founder should confirm the current position with the Startup Gujarat Cell before paying an accelerator fee in the expectation of reimbursement.

Where to get help

• Startup Gujarat Cell helpline: 1800-233-0616 (toll free) or 079-23252588.
• Email: icstup@gujarat.gov.in.
• Address: Startup Gujarat Cell, Office of Industries Commissionerate, Block No. 1, 3rd Floor, Udhyog Bhavan, Sector 11, Gandhinagar 382010, Gujarat.
• Your Nodal Institution is the practical first stop for help with the application, since it has already evaluated your project.

Registration and application on the Startup Gujarat portal are free. Gujarat has been ranked "Best Performer" in the DPIIT State Startup Ranking, and the state's support runs through the portal and the Nodal Institution network: no agent or middleman is needed to get an application accepted.