As an integral part of the Department of Science & Technology (DST)-funded National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS), IHFC is committed to driving cutting-edge research and innovation across critical technological domains. This program specifically targets the acceleration of deep-tech agricultural innovations, facilitating their crucial transition from advanced laboratory research to impactful, real-world deployment across India. The initiative benefits from robust industry support, notably from Parachute Kalpavriksha (Marico), and collaborative backing from iHub-AWaDH at IIT Ropar, leveraging their expertise and networks. The program offers substantial R&D grant funding, designed to provide crucial financial impetus without equity dilution or repayment obligations. Individual projects can secure up to ₹2 crore, while collaborative consortium projects are eligible for grants up to ₹5 crore. These grants are entirely non-dilutive and equity-free, ensuring innovators retain full ownership of their intellectual property. Funding disbursement follows a rigorous, milestone-based approach, where funds are released incrementally upon the successful achievement of predefined project deliverables and progress markers. This structured allocation ensures accountability, promotes efficient resource utilization, and aligns with project objectives, accelerating technology deployment. The grant funding is versatile, applicable across a broad spectrum of R&D and technology deployment expenses within key agricultural focus areas. These include: Pre-Sowing & Cultivation, Farm Operations & Mechanization, Harvest, Post-Harvest & Waste Management, and Value Chain Integration & Sustainability. Beyond direct financial aid, selected projects benefit from a comprehensive support ecosystem: an exclusive opportunity to showcase prototypes in person before an expert panel, participation in a dedicated 'Lab-to-Market' workshop providing commercialization strategies and business development guidance, personalized mentorship from industry veterans, and extensive ecosystem access for strategic partnerships and broader scale-up initiatives. Travel assistance is provided for one Principal Investigator from each shortlisted team.
