Deadline Date: June 19, 2026
The Department of Science and Technology is inviting eligible incubators in India to establish PRAYAS Centres and Advance PRAYAS Centres to support early-stage and deep-tech innovations through prototyping grants, infrastructure, and expert mentorship.
The programme focuses on deep-tech innovation, prototype development, startup incubation, entrepreneurship promotion, commercialization support, innovation advancement from TRL-3 to TRL-6, mentorship support, infrastructure development, maker spaces, startup ecosystem strengthening, and technology-based innovation support.
The initiative aims to strengthen innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystems by enabling incubators to establish PRAYAS Centres and Advance PRAYAS Centres under the DST support framework. These centres are expected to support around 10 innovators annually through funding assistance and structured incubation support.
PRAYAS Centres will support technology-based innovations with prototyping grants of up to ₹20 lakhs per innovator, while Advance PRAYAS Centres will focus on deep-tech and scalable solutions with prototyping grants of up to ₹40 lakhs per innovator.
Under the support structure, new centres may be established with or without DST NIDHI Maker Bhavan support. Funding assistance includes support for prototyping, establishment or upgradation of infrastructure, and administrative and consumable costs for programme management.
Incubators that have not previously received support under the NIDHI PRAYAS 1.0 Programme are eligible to apply for new centres. Centres already established under NIDHI PRAYAS 1.0 may also apply for additional support subject to eligibility conditions.
Eligible applicants must be not-for-profit legal entities registered as Section-8 companies or societies and should have a proven track record in entrepreneurship promotion, innovation support, and commercialization assistance. Incubators applying for PRAYAS Centres must have at least three years of existence, while those applying for Advance PRAYAS Centres must have at least five years of operational experience.
Preference for Advance PRAYAS Centres will be given to incubators with prior successful implementation experience under PRAYAS 1.0 and strong performance in deep-tech prototyping, mentorship, and commercialization outcomes.
For more information, visit NIDHI PRAYAS.
