Indian government startup grants, complete 2026 list

Why this list exists

Most founders in India know about SISFS and maybe one or two state grants. That's a fraction of what's actually available. The central government operates at least eight distinct grant programs through different ministries, DPIIT, DST, MSME Ministry, DBT, Niti Aayog, each with different eligibility criteria, sector focus, and application processes.

These programs don't always talk to each other and some explicitly allow stacking. A biotech founder in Kerala could theoretically access SISFS (₹20L), NIDHI Prayas (₹10L), BIRAC BIG (₹50L), and a KSUM state grant (₹15L), all for the same startup, at different stages, without dilution. That's ₹95L before you talk to a single investor.

The goal of this article is to map all eight schemes in enough detail that you can decide which ones are worth your application time.

1. SISFS, Startup India Seed Fund Scheme

Ministry: DPIIT (Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade)
Amount: Up to ₹20L grant + ₹50L as convertible debenture
Stage: Proof of concept through early commercialization
Apply via: Approved incubators only, seedfund.startupindia.gov.in
Contact: [email protected]

SISFS is the flagship central government seed grant. The ₹20L grant portion requires no repayment. The ₹50L convertible debenture does, it converts to equity if you raise a priced round, or gets repaid otherwise. Most early-stage founders should target the ₹20L grant first.

The critical detail: you apply through an incubator, not directly to the government. The incubator receives an allocation from DPIIT, reviews startup applications, and disburses from that allocation. This means your incubator relationship matters as much as your application quality. See our complete SISFS guide for the full process.

Eligibility checklist:

• DPIIT-recognised startup (mandatory, get this at startupindia.gov.in first)
• Incorporated less than 2 years ago at time of application
• Private limited company, LLP, or registered partnership, not sole proprietorship
• Have not previously received more than ₹10L from other central/state seed fund schemes
• Associated with an SISFS-approved incubator

2. NIDHI Prayas, DST

Ministry: DST (Department of Science and Technology)
Amount: Up to ₹10 lakhs
Stage: Idea to prototype (pre-product)
Apply via: NIDHI partner institutions (IITs, IIMs, NITs, state mission programs)
Portal: nidhi.gov.in
Contact: [email protected]

NIDHI Prayas (Promoting and Accelerating Young and Aspiring Innovators) targets the stage before SISFS, the idea-to-prototype gap. The ₹10L grant is meant specifically for building your first working prototype. It's administered through NIDHI partner institutions, which include IIT incubators, IIM incubators, and state mission programs like KSUM (Kerala).

Prayas is specifically for pre-incorporation or very early incorporated startups. If you have a strong idea and a technical team but no prototype yet, Prayas is the right program. You don't need DPIIT recognition to start the process, though you'll likely need it before funds are disbursed.

Who it's best for: Science/technology-based ideas where the prototype requires meaningful R&D investment. Agri-tech, health-tech, deep-tech. Pure software plays where the "prototype" is just a web app are harder to fund through Prayas.

3. NIDHI EIR, Entrepreneur in Residence

Ministry: DST
Amount: ₹30,000/month for up to 12 months + ₹3L one-time starter grant
Stage: Pre-incorporation, you have an idea but haven't started the company yet
Apply via: NIDHI host institutions
Portal: nidhi.gov.in
Contact: [email protected]

NIDHI EIR is the least-known but most founder-friendly scheme on this list. It pays you a monthly stipend of ₹30,000 for up to a year while you develop your startup idea, before incorporation, before you have a product, before you have any traction. The ₹3L starter grant is for early expenses.

The scheme recognizes a real problem: many talented potential founders can't afford to quit their jobs and explore an idea for a year without income. EIR solves that. You work from a NIDHI host institution (typically an IIT or IIM incubator), get access to their facilities, mentors, and networks, while drawing the stipend.

Eligibility: Must not have a running company. Prior work experience is valued. The host institution selects EIRs based on their own criteria, typically strong domain knowledge plus a credible idea.

Honest note: The ₹30K/month won't replace a senior tech salary in Bangalore or Mumbai. But if you're early in your career or willing to live lean while you validate, it's a meaningful bridge.

4. MSME Champions Scheme

Ministry: Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
Amount: Up to ₹1 crore (varies by sub-scheme)
Stage: MSME-registered businesses, including startups registered as MSMEs
Apply via: Udyam portal and MSME Development Institutes
Portal: champions.gov.in

MSME Champions is not a single scheme but a cluster of sub-programs for MSME-registered enterprises. If your startup is registered as an MSME (many are, the threshold is ₹1 crore investment and ₹5 crore turnover for micro, ₹10 crore and ₹50 crore for small), you can access credit-linked subsidies, technology upgradation support, and market development assistance.

The most relevant sub-component for startups is the Credit Linked Capital Subsidy Scheme (CLCSS), which provides a 15% subsidy (up to ₹15L) on loans taken to upgrade technology. Not a grant in the traditional sense, but effectively non-dilutive capital if used for technology investment.

Who should look at this: Founders building hardware, manufacturing, or deep-tech products where significant capital expenditure is part of the build-out. Pure software SaaS startups get less value here.

5. Atal Innovation Mission, AIM, Niti Aayog

Administrator: Niti Aayog
Amount: ₹10 crore over 5 years for Atal Incubation Centers (AICs); startups at AICs access ₹2-5L seed grants
Stage: Early-stage startups incubated at AICs
Portal: aim.gov.in / niti.gov.in
Contact: [email protected]

AIM runs the Atal Incubation Center network, currently 68+ AICs across India, set up at universities and research institutions. AICs themselves receive ₹10 crore over 5 years from Niti Aayog to build and operate the incubator infrastructure. As a startup, you access AIM's value by getting incubated at an AIC.

Startups incubated at AICs typically receive seed grants of ₹2-5L from the AIC's own corpus, plus access to mentorship, shared infrastructure, and co-working space. More importantly, AICs are often SISFS-approved incubators, so getting into an AIC can be the first step toward SISFS funding.

Finding an AIC near you: The AIM website lists all 68+ AICs with sector focus and contact details. Major AICs include AIC-SMUTBI (Manipal), AIC-Nitte (Mangalore), AIC-IIT Jodhpur, AIC-Banasthali, and many more.

6. BIRAC, for biotech startups

Administrator: BIRAC (Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council), under DBT
Flagship schemes: BIRAC BIG, BIRAC BIPP, BIRAC Leap
Portal: birac.nic.in
Contact: [email protected]

BIRAC runs India's most active grant programs specifically for biotech and life sciences startups. If you're building in genomics, diagnostics, medical devices, biopharma, agri-biotech, or related areas, BIRAC should be one of your first calls.

BIRAC BIG (Biotechnology Ignition Grant)

Amount: Up to ₹50 lakhs
Stage: Very early, idea to proof of concept in biotech
Equity: None, pure grant

BIG is BIRAC's flagship early-stage grant. ₹50L equity-free for biotech startups at the idea-to-PoC stage. The application requires a detailed scientific proposal, PI credentials, and IP strategy. Typically 2 funding cycles per year. Highly competitive but the amounts are among the best in the central government portfolio.

BIRAC BIPP (Biotechnology Industry Partnership Programme)

Amount: Variable, typically ₹5-10 crore for larger translational research projects
Stage: Translational research, taking academic science to commercial product
Note: Industry-academia partnerships required

BIRAC Leap

Amount: Up to ₹5 crore for scale-up of proven biotech products
Stage: Post-proof-of-concept, scaling to market

Honest note on BIRAC: The scientific rigor required in BIRAC applications is higher than most startup grants. You need a credible PI (Principal Investigator), a clear scientific hypothesis, and a realistic path to biotech product commercialization. Founders without life-sciences backgrounds will struggle with the applications. Find a BIRAC-experienced mentor before applying.

7. DBT-Wellcome Trust India Alliance

Administrators: DBT (Department of Biotechnology) + Wellcome Trust
Amount: Up to ₹2.5 crore (Early Career Fellowship) or ₹5 crore (Intermediate/Senior)
Stage: Health research, academic and startup spinoffs
Portal: indiaalliance.org

The India Alliance is a joint funding body between India's DBT and the UK's Wellcome Trust, focused on health and biomedical research. It's more grants-for-researchers than grants-for-startups, but health-tech founders with strong research backgrounds or academic spinoffs in medicine, public health, or life sciences should know about it.

Fellowship amounts are generous, Early Career goes up to ₹2.5 crore over 5 years. Intermediate Career up to ₹5 crore over 5 years. The application is research-grant style, not startup-pitch style. If your health startup has its roots in original research, this is worth exploring alongside BIRAC.

8. Stand Up India

Ministry: Ministry of Finance / SIDBI
Amount: ₹10 lakhs to ₹1 crore
Stage: First-time entrepreneurs from SC/ST or women founders
Portal: standupmitra.in

Stand Up India is technically a loan scheme, not a grant, but at subsidized interest rates and with facilitated access through banks, it functions as accessible capital for founders who typically face the most friction in the Indian financial system: SC/ST entrepreneurs and women founders.

Every bank branch in India is mandated to lend to at least one SC/ST borrower and one woman borrower under this scheme. The ₹10L-₹1Cr loan is for non-farm enterprises, covers greenfield projects, and is disbursed at a concessional rate (base rate + 3% max).

Who this is for: If you are a woman founder or belong to SC/ST communities and are building a business that needs capital for setup, equipment, infrastructure, initial inventory, Stand Up India is one of the fastest routes to meaningful capital.

How to stack these programs

These programs are not mutually exclusive. Here's an example stacking sequence for a health-tech startup:

1. NIDHI EIR, ₹30K/month stipend while you develop the idea (pre-incorporation)
2. NIDHI Prayas, ₹10L to build the first prototype
3. SISFS grant, ₹20L to validate and reach early commercialization
4. BIRAC BIG, ₹50L to advance the core biotech science
5. State grant (KSUM, TANSEED, Elevate), ₹10-50L for market acceleration

That's ₹90L-₹1.3Cr in non-dilutive capital before you talk to an angel investor, assuming you execute at each stage. The timeline is 18-36 months. Not fast, but the math is compelling compared to giving up 15-25% equity for that amount.

Summary table

How to actually get started

The practical starting sequence for most founders:

1. Get DPIIT recognition, startupindia.gov.in
2. Identify the 2-3 schemes most relevant to your stage and sector
3. Find the right incubator for the schemes that route through incubators (SISFS, Prayas)
4. Apply to the most accessible scheme first (NIDHI Prayas or your state grant) to build a track record
5. Use that track record in the more competitive applications (BIRAC, Elevate)

The grant process in India rewards patience and persistence. Most successful grant-funded founders applied 2-3 times before their first win. Each rejection is information, ask the incubator or scheme administrator what was missing.