AWaDH, IIT Ropar

SPRINT — Strategic Program for Research, Innovation and Next-Gen Tech Commercialization — is AWaDH's entry point for people who are not yet running a company. It backs two things: research ideas that could become an early-stage startup, and technology projects that need validation, upgrading or commercialisation. Applications are open on a rolling basis, and the programme also runs as editions hosted with regional partner organisations; thirteen editions are recorded on its page.

What you get

• Technology validation and due diligence, and support from prototype through to product launch.
• Lab access, mentoring and customised training.
• Partnership and collaboration connects, testbeds and joint technology development.
• Help deploying market-ready products and exploring international markets.
• Investment and financial support for selected startups, and support with technology commercialisation.

Who can apply

• Innovators, researchers and aspiring entrepreneurs, including individuals rather than registered companies.
• Deep-tech, hardware or software R&D work in a cyber-physical systems area.
• Patents and IP are preferred but not required; women founders are encouraged to apply.

How selection works: you apply on a rolling basis or through an open innovation challenge, an internal committee screens on metrics and prioritises teams with existing technology, innovation, IP or patents, you pitch to the internal Incubator Seed Management Committee, then shortlisted teams pitch at a demo day in front of investors, VC firms and the external committee. The committee and the demo-day panel decide whether support comes as a grant, equity or a loan.

How to apply: through the registration form on the SPRINT page. Organisations that want to host an edition apply through a separate call for proposals. Questions go to the startups inbox, startups@ihub-awadh.in.

SAMRIDHI — Strategic Acceleration for Market, Research, Innovation & Development — is the acceleration-stage programme for startups that are already past the idea. Its page states plainly that it is for growth-stage startups with pre-revenue, an MVP or existing investment. It runs as numbered editions built around a conclave with pitching, awards and a demo day; registration for the fourth edition is open, and the hub reports ninety-five startup pitches, a hundred and seventy participants and fifty-six investment partners across the first three.

What you get

• Mentoring support and technology development help.
• Lab infrastructure and R&D support.
• Corporate and government network access, and an extended team.
• Technology validation and due diligence, testbeds, market-ready deployment and international market support.
• Financial support for selected startups, decided at the demo day.

Who can apply

• Deep-tech startups at growth stage — pre-revenue, MVP or already invested.
• Work against one of its problem statements: agriculture automation and information systems, livestock health monitoring and management, water treatment and conservation, soil assessment processes, or hardware and deep tech.
• Women founders are encouraged to apply.

How selection works: application, metrics-based screening by an internal committee, an internal pitch to the Incubator Seed Management Committee, then a demo day in front of external investors, VC firms and the external committee, which decides the support offered.

How to apply: through the participant registration form on the SAMRIDHI page. Investors, jury members and partner organisations have their own route in through the same page.

AWaDH is one of the incubators through which the national Startup India Seed Fund Scheme is disbursed. The scheme supports proof of concept, prototype development, product trials, market entry and commercialisation for startups that cannot yet raise from angels, VCs or banks. AWaDH reports more than twelve hundred and eighty applications, over two hundred pitches and thirty-two startups funded through this route so far, nine of which it names publicly.

What you get

• Seed support released against milestones, as a grant for proof of concept and prototype work and as a debt or convertible instrument for market entry and scale-up.
• Mentoring, technology development help, lab infrastructure and R&D support alongside the money.
• Corporate and government network access.

Who can apply

• Startups recognised by DPIIT.
• Incorporated no more than two years before applying.
• Working in AWaDH's focus areas: agriculture automation and information systems, livestock health monitoring, water treatment and conservation, soil assessment, or hardware and deep tech.

How selection works: you apply on the national seed fund portal and pick up to three incubators in order of preference. The incubator screens against the scheme's criteria, shortlisted startups present to the Incubator Seed Management Committee, which weighs innovation, feasibility, impact, team capability and the fund utilisation plan. Selected startups go through due diligence and sign the scheme's legal agreement, after which funds are released in milestone-based instalments through the incubator.

How to apply: on the national Startup India seed fund portal, naming IIT Ropar Technology and Innovation Foundation as a preferred incubator. You need DPIIT recognition first.

100 Startups 100 Days is a national programme launched by IIT Ropar and run jointly by iHub – AWaDH, ANNAM.AI (the Ministry of Education's AI centre of excellence at IIT Ropar) and IIT Ropar TBIF. It is framed as a lead-in to the India AI Impact Summit and aims to identify, accelerate and support a hundred early-stage deep-tech startups. Regional editions have run alongside it, including a SPRINT North edition.

What you get

• Access to the hub's R&D facilities and domain expertise.
• Mentorship and investment opportunities.
• A fast-tracked path from prototype to a market-ready product.
• The standard AWaDH support set: technology validation and due diligence, partnership connects, testbeds, market-ready deployment, international market support and technology commercialisation help.

Who can apply

• Early-stage deep-tech startups in agritech, water-tech, IoT or cyber-physical systems.
• The hub's standing eligibility note applies: innovative technology focus, deep-tech innovation, patents and IP preferred, individuals may apply, women founders encouraged.

How to apply: through the apply-as-startup form on the programme page. Incubators, accelerators, corporates and investors have a separate partner form, and there is a third link for reserving a seat at the event itself.

GENESIS — Gen-Next Support for Innovative Startups — is a national programme of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology aimed at founders in tier-two and tier-three cities, and AWaDH is one of the incubators delivering it. The last call published on AWaDH's page closed in November 2025, so this is between intakes; the page is still up and the form may reopen for a later round.

What you get

• Funding for selected startups.
• Incubation support and mentorship.
• Investor connect.

Who can apply

• Technology-driven startups based in tier-two and tier-three cities.
• Working in electronic design and manufacturing, deep-tech software and product, AI and machine learning, IoT, or VLSI and semiconductors.

How to apply: through the GENESIS application form on AWaDH's programme page when a round is open. Check the page for the current last date before applying.

DTC Accelerate is AWaDH's climate-tech cohort with NASSCOM, focused on agriculture and water technology. It is cohort-based rather than rolling: the published timeline runs from an application launch in September through shortlisting, jury evaluation, a cohort announcement, onboarding and a programme start in early November. The last published round has closed.

What you get

• Mentorship and guidance from people who know the sector.
• Hands-on product development, with lab access, field trials and technical support through industry and academic collaborations.
• Milestone-driven progress: you set your own success metrics and track them against structured checkpoints.
• Alumni support after the programme through showcases, mentoring sessions and ecosystem events.

Who can apply

• Climate-tech startups working on agriculture and water technology.
• The hub's standing eligibility note applies.

How selection works: applications close, an internal evaluation and shortlisting round runs for about a week, a jury then evaluates the shortlist, the final cohort is announced, and onboarding runs for a fortnight before the programme begins.

How to apply: through the application route published on the programme page when a round opens.

PRAGATI is a short, tightly structured accelerator run as a CSR initiative of Puri Oil Mills with AWaDH. It is aimed at early-stage startups working on agriculture and sustainability, and it is the one AWaDH programme that publishes its funnel numbers in advance. The last timeline on its page is from an earlier intake, so it is between rounds, but a PRAGATI report from 2025 suggests it has run since.

What you get

• Personalised mentoring from domain experts to sharpen the idea and the strategy.
• Funding support for selected startups, as a grant at lower amounts and as a loan or equity above that.
• Networking with industry leaders, investors and other startups.
• Access to advanced R&D facilities and IIT Ropar's Central Research Facility.

Who can apply

• Early-stage startups and innovators working on agriculture and sustainability.
• Solving one of its problem statements: climate-resilient farming, AI and data-driven agricultural tools, sustainable resource management, yield and crop health prediction, or IoT and big data integration.
• Individuals may apply; women founders are encouraged; patents and IP preferred.

How selection works: twenty-five startups are shortlisted in the first phase, ten go through to a pre-demo day, those ten run a six-week accelerator at two hours a week, and the programme ends with a final demo day. Selected startups sign an incubation agreement before the accelerator begins.

How to apply: through the registration route on the PRAGATI page when the next intake opens.

REAL is AWaDH's accelerator for startups outside its core agriculture and water brief, run with Omaxe on real estate, urban development, construction and financing. The published round opened in April 2025, closed in June 2025 and ended with a demo day in September 2025, so it is currently closed.

What you get

• Industry access through the sponsor.
• Strategic investment for selected startups.
• Expert mentorship and business support.

Who can apply

• Early-stage startups in real estate and property technology, fintech and alternative financing models, AI and automation in real estate, sustainable construction and smart cities, or digital transformation and marketplaces.
• Individuals may apply; women founders are encouraged; patents and IP preferred.

How selection works: applications close, a shortlist is published about two weeks later, and shortlisted startups pitch at a demo day.

How to apply: through the startup registration form on the REAL page when a round is open.

SWACH — Sanitation and Water Action for Conserving Humanity — was a joint accelerator with Innovation Mission Punjab and the India Sanitation Coalition, for startups in water and sanitation that wanted to build scalable models and get investment-ready. Its published last date has passed.

What you get

• Mentoring support and technology development help.
• Lab infrastructure and R&D support.
• Corporate and government network access, and an extended team.
• Financial support for a shortlist of startups, decided at the conclave.

Who can apply

• Startups in water and sanitation, including waste management, with a product or prototype ready for market or needing help to improve and scale it.
• At least one commercial pilot already executed.
• No more than five years old.
• Registered in India as a private limited company, LLP or partnership.
• Women founders were encouraged to apply.

How selection works: application, internal screening, an internal pitch to the seed management committee, then a demo day before external investors and the external committee, which decides the support for each shortlisted startup.

How to apply: through the participant registration form on the SWACH page, hosted by Innovation Mission Punjab, when a round is open.

The WATER Innovation Challenge — Water and Agriculture Technologies for Eco Revolution — was run with HDFC Bank's Parivartan initiative. Winners have been announced, so the call is closed; the hub and HDFC also published a joint report mapping innovation and investment in the agri-water space.

What you get

• Networking with the venture capital and angel ecosystem.
• Access to government and hub funds for selected startups.
• Connections into the deep-tech ecosystem and to business opportunities.

Who can apply

• Startups with an innovative technology focus on water, working on one of four problem statements: sustainable agriculture water management, smart water usage in agriculture, leakage prevention in water supply systems, or cleaning water bodies for aquatic life.
• Individuals may apply; women founders are encouraged; patents and IP preferred.

How selection works: the same funnel as the hub's other programmes — application, screening, an internal pitch to the seed management committee, then a demo day before an external panel.

How to apply: through the challenge registration link on its page when a round is open, naming IIT Ropar Technology and Innovation Foundation as the incubator.

The Ideathon was run as an inclusive call across India's startup and academic ecosystem, and its pages describe it in the past tense. Each track reserved seventy per cent of places for participants from the Scheduled Caste category and thirty per cent for the general category. It drew startups, faculty members, students and researchers, and ran cyber-physical systems workshops alongside the main competition.

What you get

• Mentoring and support for ideas selected through the competition.
• Hands-on cyber-physical systems workshops.

Who can apply

• Startups, faculty members, students and researchers.
• Places on each track were reserved by social category, seventy per cent Scheduled Caste and thirty per cent general.

How to apply: applications ran through the call published for each edition; there is no open call at present.