IT Incubation Center

What is the IT Incubation Center?

IT Incubation Center is an initiative of the Information Technology Development Agency (ITDA), the autonomous body under the Government of Uttarakhand that guides, monitors and executes the state's IT projects. ITDA is based at IT Bhawan, Plot No. IT-07, Sahastradhara Road, IT Park, Dehradun 248013, and the incubation activity sits inside the same IT Park cluster.

The purpose is straightforward. Uttarakhand's technology founders have historically had to move to Noida, Gurugram or Bengaluru to find affordable office space, mentors and investor access. An incubation centre inside IT Park Dehradun is meant to make it possible to build a software or deep-tech company without leaving the state; desk space, connectivity, mentoring and a route into the state's startup incentives, all in one place.

The single most important thing to know: IT Incubation Center is not an individual benefit scheme. No citizen applies to it and receives money. It is an institutional programme. A startup applies to be incubated; an institution applies for a grant to run an incubator. If you are looking for a personal subsidy or a loan, this is the wrong scheme.

What incubation support does Uttarakhand fund?

According to the Uttarakhand startup policy published on the Startup India state policy pages, the state supports incubation on two levels.

To the incubator, or its host institution:

• A one-time capital grant of 50 percent of capital cost, up to Rs 1 crore, to set up or scale an incubation facility. Land and building cost is excluded.
• Rs 2 lakh per annum towards operating and management expenses, for 3 years, for incubators recognised by the Startup Council.
• For host institutes setting up IT infrastructure, a capital grant of up to 50 percent, capped at Rs 25 lakh.

To the incubated startup:

• One-time seed capital of up to Rs 10 lakh, and up to Rs 12.5 lakh for women entrepreneurs and founders from marginalised groups.
• One-time free pre-incubation and incubation support.
• A monthly sustenance allowance, a marketing allowance, patent and IP cost reimbursement, stamp duty reimbursement and state GST reimbursement, subject to the conditions in the policy.

Existing centres seeking expansion are covered too, with reported subsidies of up to Rs 50 lakh for scaling an established facility against up to Rs 1 crore for a new one.

What physical space exists at IT Park Dehradun?

The incubation space at IT Park Dehradun is operated in large part through Software Technology Parks of India (STPI), which has been present in Dehradun since 2001 and runs from two locations; Survey Chowk near Vikas Bhawan, and IT Park on Sahastradhara Road. STPI's Dehradun IT Park facility is described as a 15,000 sq ft built-up office with 4,615 sq ft of raw incubation space and a 190 sq ft plug-and-play area seating 6. STPI has proposed a 30,000 sq ft startup hub in the IT Park to deepen the ecosystem.

Alongside space, STPI Dehradun offers data-com, co-location and other value-added services, which is why an early-stage company with server needs often chooses it over a private co-working desk.

Who is eligible for incubation support?

A startup can be considered if:

• It is a registered entity, a private limited company, LLP or registered partnership.
• It is early stage and working on a technology or IT-led product or service.
• It operates in Uttarakhand, since the state incentives are tied to doing business in the state.
• It holds, or can obtain, DPIIT startup recognition, which most state incentives require even where the incubator itself does not.

A host institution can apply for the incubator grant if:

• It is a university, technical institution or recognised body proposing to set up or scale an incubation facility.
• The facility is approved and recognised by the Startup Council of Uttarakhand.

You are not eligible if:

• You are an individual seeking a personal grant, salary support or loan. Nothing under IT Incubation Center is paid to a person as a welfare benefit.
• Your venture is unregistered. An idea without an incorporated entity cannot be taken into the formal incubation and incentive chain, though pre-incubation support may still be available.
• Your business has no operating presence in Uttarakhand.

Which incubators are recognised in Uttarakhand?

The Startup Uttarakhand portal at startuputtarakhand.uk.gov.in lists 15 recognised incubators. They include:

• Software Technology Parks of India, Dehradun IT Park
• TIDES Business Incubator, IIT Roorkee
• IIM Kashipur Foundation for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development
• UPES Council for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (UCIE), Dehradun
• TBI Graphic Era University, Dehradun
• CIIES, DIT University, Dehradun
• COER Incubation and Innovation Centre, College of Engineering Roorkee
• Rural Business Incubator, Almora and Rural Business Incubator, Pauri Garhwal, both hosted by the Department of Rural Development

The two Rural Business Incubators matter for founders in the hills, because they are the only recognised incubators in the list that are not attached to a Dehradun, Roorkee or Kashipur campus.

How to apply for incubation in Uttarakhand

1. Register your entity. Incorporate as a private limited company, LLP or registered partnership, and obtain PAN and GST registration as applicable.
2. Get DPIIT startup recognition on the Startup India portal. Most state incentives, including seed capital, key off this recognition.
3. Shortlist a recognised incubator from the list on startuputtarakhand.uk.gov.in/recognised_incubators, choosing one whose sector focus and location fit your company.
4. Apply directly to that incubator with your incorporation certificate, business plan or pitch deck, founder identity proofs and, if you have revenue, your financials. Each incubator runs its own selection committee and cohort calendar.
5. Present to the selection committee. Incubation is competitive; seats and desks are limited, and the plug-and-play capacity at IT Park is small.
6. Once incubated, apply for state incentives — seed capital, sustenance allowance, marketing allowance, patent reimbursement: through the Startup Uttarakhand portal, with your incubator endorsing the application.
7. For institutions, apply to the Startup Council for incubator recognition first, then for the capital grant of 50 percent up to Rs 1 crore and the Rs 2 lakh annual operating support.

How to reach ITDA and the startup cell

1. Call ITDA on 0135-2608330 or email diritda-uk@nic.in for questions on the IT Park facility and ITDA's role.
2. Visit IT Bhawan, Plot No. IT-07, Sahastradhara Road, IT Park, Dehradun 248013 in person.
3. Use the Startup Uttarakhand portal for the startup recognition and incentive track, which is administered separately from ITDA's IT infrastructure work.

What ITDA does beyond incubation

ITDA is the state's IT delivery agency, and its published programme list gives a sense of the environment an incubated company sits inside: Apuni Sarkar, the citizen services portal; the Uttarakhand Data Center; UKSWAN, the state wide area network; DARC, the drone technology research and application centre; e-Office; the CM Helpline; eGatepass; and Unnati Uttarakhand for project monitoring. For a startup building govtech, DARC and Apuni Sarkar are the two most relevant points of contact, because both create real state demand for technology work.

Points to check before you apply

• Incubation is not automatic. Every recognised incubator selects its cohort; a state-recognised list is not a queue.
• Grant figures are policy figures. The Rs 1 crore capital grant and the Rs 10 lakh seed capital come from the Uttarakhand startup policy and are subject to its conditions, ceilings and approval process. Confirm current terms with the incubator and the Startup Council before you budget against them.
• ITDA does not publish a standalone application form for an "IT Incubation Center" benefit. The real route is incubator selection plus the Startup Uttarakhand incentive track.

Where to raise a query

• ITDA, Government of Uttarakhand: 0135-2608330, diritda-uk@nic.in
• Startup Uttarakhand portal: startuputtarakhand.uk.gov.in
• STPI Dehradun: IT Park, Sahastradhara Road, and Survey Chowk, Dehradun

No fee is payable to any agent for incubation admission or for a state startup incentive. Applications go directly to the incubator and to the state portal.