Bharat Water Innovation Network (Bharat WIN)

Check the gate first

Only registered startups and MSMEs can apply. Keep your startup or MSME registration certificate ready, along with an endorsement letter as the proposal format asks.

Match a listed problem

Read the focus areas and the problem statements before drafting. A proposal that names one of them, or clearly fits a focus area, is easier to place. Describe a proof of concept at technology readiness level 3 and say what prototype or field-ready solution you will deliver.

Submit once, correctly

The portal does not let you edit or resubmit after you submit. Fill organisation details, team, objectives, methodology, expected outcomes, implementation plan, budget estimates, milestones and technology readiness level in one pass, in English.

The call is closed

The last Open Call closed on 31 August 2026. Watch the Bharat WIN portal or write to the Hackathon Secretariat for the next round.

Bharat Water Innovation Network, or Bharat WIN, is a national initiative of the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation under the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India. It is run through the National Institute of Hydrology in Roorkee, which the ministry has named as the Project Implementation Agency. It is a government programme, not an incubator: it does not offer a desk, a cohort or mentoring, and it does not take equity. What it offers is a route to grant-in-aid for water-technology prototypes.

Who it is for

The Open Call is for registered startups and MSMEs only. Individuals, students and unregistered teams cannot submit to it. Team size, gender and role are not restricted. Proposals are expected to be proof-of-concept work at technology readiness level 3, written in English, and they must name deliverables such as prototypes, scalable models or field-ready solutions.

What it funds

The call was framed around water-sector problems: water resources assessment and management, wastewater treatment, climate resilience, water use efficiency and the circular economy, smart water grids and IoT, efficient irrigation and rainwater harvesting, river basin and flood management including glacial lake outburst floods, hydrological modelling and water quality. It also listed specific problem statements, among them a rooftop rainwater harvesting design app, UAV and floating-sensor river monitoring, a portable water quality testing device, decentralised wastewater treatment and sludge handling. Proposals outside the listed ideas were also invited. Selected proposals were called for a presentation and receive grant-in-aid from the department.

Status

The Open Call opened on 1 June 2026 and its deadline was extended from 31 July 2026 to 31 August 2026. The site states that submissions are closed after the deadline, and we found no announcement of a second round. Bharat WIN also organises Jal Shakti Hackathons, where 19 winning teams have been awarded prizes. Treat this page as a guide to the kind of problems the ministry funds and check the portal before preparing a proposal.

Contact

Queries go to the Hackathon Secretariat at the National Institute of Hydrology, Jal Vigyan Bhawan, Roorkee, Uttarakhand 247667.