Startup Grants & Funding programs for Academic Institution Companies in India

Academic institutions including universities, research labs, and IITs/IIMs qualify for DST-FIST infrastructure grants, MHRD's SPARC program, and BIRAC's university innovation grants. Institution-linked startups benefit from dedicated incubation centres, NIDHI-TBI funding, and faculty entrepreneurship schemes under the National Education Policy 2020.

Showing 402+ programs for Indian startups

incubationActive

IHFC Startup Incubation Program

IHFC, IIT Delhi

Incubation for Indian deeptech startups in Cyber Physical Systems, Robotics, IoT, and AI.

incubationacceleration
Details
acceleratorInactive

FutureX AI – Campus Fund (2nd Edition) by Campus Fund, Google Cloud

Campus Fund, Google Cloud

Upto ₹8.5 CrClosed

Investment platform and accelerator contest for student-led AI startups.

aistudent-led
Details
acceleratorInactive

BioVerse Challenge 2025 by Thermo Fisher Scientific

Thermo Fisher Scientific

Closed

Nationwide challenge by Thermo Fisher for early-stage and growth-stage biotech startups registered with DPIIT.

biotechnologyhealthcareearly_revenue Stage
Details
grantInactive

The Building Her Community Grant by Freelancing Females

Freelancing Females, Heartbeat

Upto ₹4.2 LakhsClosed

Grant for women founders, freelancers, entrepreneurs, and community builders. Open to all genders aligned with the mission of empowering women in business.

women entrepreneurshipfreelancing
Details
fundingInactive

IHFC–India Accelerator MedTech Impact Call 2026

IHFC, IIT Delhi & India Accelerator

Upto ₹5 CrClosed

Up to ₹5Cr for medtech & healthcare startups with scalable solutions

medtechhealthcaremvp Stage
Details
incubationInactive

NSRCEL Launchpad 30 at IIM Bangalore

NSRCEL, IIM Bangalore

Upto ₹5 LakhsClosed

5-month sector-agnostic pre-incubation with ₹5L grants for top 3 teams at NSRCEL IIM Bangalore.

pre-incubationmentorshipidea Stage
Details
grantInactive

MANAGE-CIA RKVY-RAFTAAR Student Orientation Program (SOP) Cohort 15

MANAGE Centre for Innovation and Agripreneurship

Upto ₹4 LakhsClosed

Grant up to ₹4L for students with agri-innovation ideas

agribusinessstudentsidea Stage
Details
grantInactive

Wadhwani Innovation Network CoE Call for Proposals 2026

Wadhwani Innovation Network (WIN) Centre of Excellence, IIT Hyderabad

Upto ₹1 CrClosed

Up to ₹1Cr for TRL-4+ deeptech startups with IIT Hyderabad collaboration

deeptechgrantmvp Stage
Details
contestInactive

Moonshots for Development (M4D) Open Innovation Challenge

IFAD, IDB Lab

₹8.5 Lakhs – ₹2.13 CrClosed

Open innovation challenge for growth-stage enterprises in agritech, climate, and rural development.

agritechclimatetechgrowth Stage
Details
contestInactive

Blockchain India Challenge - MeitY & C-DAC

Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC)

Upto ₹50 LakhsClosed

National blockchain and Web3 startup challenge for citizen-centric solutions

blockchainweb3
Details
acceleratorInactive

AgriTech Acceleration Program 2026

IIM Lucknow Enterprise Incubation Centre (IIML EIC)

Upto ₹1 LakhsClosed

₹1 lakh grant accelerator for AgriTech startups expanding in Uttar Pradesh

agritechagriculturemvp Stage
Details
grantInactive

Youth Co:Lab National Innovation Challenge 2026

UNDP, Citi Foundation, Atal Innovation Mission, T-Hub Foundation

₹2.2 Lakhs – ₹3.5 LakhsClosed

youthcolabundpIdea Stage
Details
incubationInactive

Jagriti Enterprise Centre Purvanchal Incubation Program 2026-27

Jagriti Enterprise Centre Purvanchal

Closed

Incubation for MSMEs & startups in Purvanchal; women-led priority

incubationmsmeidea Stage
Details
grantInactive

Greenovation Green Steel Challenge by EarthON Foundation

EarthON Foundation, Greenovation Hub

Upto ₹25 LakhsClosed

green steeldecarbonizationPrototype Stage
Details
incubationInactive

LVPEI BioNEST Incubator Start-Up Challenge 2026

LV Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI) BioNEST Incubator, All India Ophthalmological Society (AIOS)

Upto ₹5 LakhsClosed

ophthalmologyeye careIdea Stage
Details
acceleratorInactive

Climate Finance Accelerator (CFA) India 2026 by UK Government

UK Government

Closed

climate financeenergy transitionEarly Revenue Stage
Details
incubationInactive

GENESIS Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EiR) Program Cohort 2 – InFED IIM Nagpur

InFED, IIM Nagpur

Upto ₹10 LakhsClosed

Up to ₹10L for first-generation deeptech founders at ideation or prototype stage.

deeptechelectronicsidea Stage
Details
grantInactive

IIT Tirupati TIH Deep Tech Technology Development Projects (TDP) – 2026

IIT Tirupati Navavishkar I-Hub Foundation

Upto ₹1 CrClosed

Up to ₹1 Cr for TRL 2–4 to TRL 5–6 deeptech projects.

deeptechtrl advancementPrototype Stage
Details
acceleratorInactive

IHH Catalyst Program – Fortis IndiaEdition

IHH Healthcare, Fortis Healthcare

Closed

Hospital pilot program for healthcare startups with hospital-ready solutions.

healthtechhealthcare innovationmvp Stage
Details
incubationInactive

Venture Challenge 9.0

Atal Incubation Centre - Shiv Nadar University

₹5 Lakhs – ₹1 CrClosed

aicshiv nadar universityPrototype Stage
Details
acceleratorInactive

PayU inFINity 3.0 Fintech Accelerator

PayU

Closed

Zero-equity fintech accelerator for MVP-stage startups raising Seed–Series A.

fintechacceleratormvp Stage
Details
contestInactive

BOSCH–BMU Innovation Challenge Cohort 2

BOSCH and BML Munjal University

Closed

Sustainable mobility innovation challenge.

sustainable mobilityinnovation challengeIdea Stage
Details