Deadline: October 10, 2025
The Development of Transformative Sanitation Technologies (TST) for Indian Household and Community Settings is a funding opportunity jointly initiated by the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India, and the Gates Foundation to promote innovative decentralized sanitation technologies aimed at safely managing sanitation challenges in diverse Indian contexts.
Focus areas of this opportunity include the development of off-grid sanitation technologies that treat waste onsite without requiring sewer infrastructure, using minimal water, and recycling treated water. The initiative targets both household and community environments, with applicability in urban high-end consumers as well as low-resource settings like underserved urban slums, rural and remote areas, and emergency relief camps. The call emphasizes innovative, economically sound, robust solutions suitable for mass diffusion and last-mile deployment. Technologies must be pathogen-free, regulation-ready, energy-efficient, cost-effective, and integrated with digital enablement and circular resource use.
This program addresses critical gaps in sanitation systems under water stress and climate vulnerabilities by encouraging design-led, tech-enabled, and context-sensitive innovations that span the sanitation value chain from treatment to community-scale reuse. It aims for a sustainable sanitation system supporting the Sustainable Development Goal 6 and complementing India’s development priorities like Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and Atmanirbhar Bharat.
The opportunity envisions three tracks of innovation: (1) compact black water household transformative sanitation toilets placed inside washrooms, offering complete thermal combustion pathogen elimination and water recycling suitable for Indian bathroom configurations; (2) compact backend systems treating both grey and black water at the household scale with dual-purpose water recycling and advanced solid waste management; and (3) community-level hyper-decentralized sewage treatment plants (STPs) designed for high-volume treatment in public sanitation infrastructures with renewable energy integration.
The technologies developed under this challenge should comply with national environmental standards and global benchmarks such as ISO 30500, emphasize energy sustainability with off-grid and renewable solutions, demonstrate low carbon footprint, and ensure affordability with minimal operational costs. The solutions should be easy to maintain, user-friendly, and compatible with Indian plumbing and sanitation practices. Market readiness including mass production capability and scalable deployment across India is essential.
Eligibility for applicants spans Indian companies (minimum 51% Indian ownership), limited liability partnerships, academic institutions, public research organizations, and registered societies or NGOs with preference for industry collaboration and partnerships with national or international experts. Proposals are evaluated on innovation maturity, technical feasibility, impact potential, user-centered design, and potential for commercialization and scalability.
Financial support offers up to INR 60,00,000 per project for a maximum term of 18 months, covering R&D, prototyping, testing, piloting, mentoring, and commercialization support through milestone-based grants.
The call closes on 10th October 2025, with shortlisting by 10th November, and award announcements by 30th November 2025. The process involves rigorous evaluation by a Scientific Advisory Committee, milestone reporting, and adherence to global access commitments ensuring affordable availability of developed technologies.
For more information, visit BIRAC.
