AIC SMUTBI

Ensures minimal risk of failure in the Valley of Death of a startup.

Aims to accelerate India’s contribution towards building the foundations of the metaverse and nurturing the development of Extended Reality (XR) technologies in India. The program includes an Accelerator and a Grand Challenge.

Startups get access to a grant of 20,00,000, mentorship by industry experts and researchers, access to a network of potential strategic partners and investors, technology and infrastructure support, and opportunities to participate and present at industry events.

A total of 20 innovators will be shortlisted and receive a grant of 50,000 and an opportunity to attend the bootcamp. Of the 20 shortlisted innovators, 4 innovators will be supported with grants worth 20,00,000 to help them develop MVP(s)/ prototypes. The other benefits include mentorship by industry experts and researchers, access to a network of potential strategic partners and investors, technology and infrastructure support, and opportunities to participate and present at industry events, demo days.

Supported by The Royal Norwegian Embassy in New Delhi and Innovation Norway in collaboration with AIC-SMUTBI. Shortlisted proposals will receive mentorship and financial support to advance their innovations. The fellowship programme consists of two phases, each lasting 3 months. During this time, each candidate will be hosted at an AIC-SMUTBI and The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), New Delhi. They will gain awareness of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), develop entrepreneurial skills, and explore concepts of the circular economy. A total of 12 fellowships will be awarded. The mode of mentoring will be online. Eligibility Criteria: Applicant must be an Indian citizen. Applicant must be 18-year-old or above. Open to all educational backgrounds. Applicant must have a valid PAN card. Applicant must be a resident or working in one of the following states/regions, or the idea must already be implemented or have the potential to be implemented in any of the following states/regions: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura, Sikkim. Gender equity is encouraged. Candidates with ideas at the MVP (Minimum Viable Product) stage will be given preference.