i4 — SBIRI and BIPP

i4, Intensifying the Impact of Industrial Innovation, is the umbrella over BIRAC's two industry schemes. SBIRI supports development and initial validation of new products and technologies, ending at technology readiness level 6 or below. BIPP picks up from there, supporting validation, demonstration and pre-commercialisation at level 7 and above. BIPP sorts proposals into four categories, from socially important work with uncertain market demand through to shared major facilities. No call was open when we last checked; the 2025 calls for both ran from 1 April to 30 May.

What you get

• Cost-shared grant funding, with the split depending on which scheme and how large the project is. There is no ceiling on the overall project cost.
• The full cost of a collaborating academic institution is borne by BIRAC.
• IP ownership stays with the Indian company, and where relevant with the collaborating scientists. Royalty is payable under BIRAC's guidelines.

Who can apply

• A company incorporated under the Companies Act, 2013, or an LLP under the LLP Act, 2008 — singly or as a consortium, with or without an academic partner.
• Joint ventures as a company or LLP, together with another private or public partner such as a university or institute.
• At least 51 per cent of shares held by Indian citizens holding an Indian passport; persons of Indian origin and overseas citizens do not count. For an LLP, at least half the original partners must be Indian citizens.
• Adequate in-house facilities to run the project, checked on a site visit, or incubation at a recognised incubation facility.
• An academic collaborator may be a public or private university or college in India, a national research laboratory, or a not-for-profit private research lab, society or foundation.

How to apply: online only through the BIRAC website during an open call, using the SBIRI or BIPP proforma from BIRAC's proposal submission page. Watch the call page rather than the stated calendars: the SBIRI page promises two windows a year and the BIPP page promises three, on different dates, and neither matched the calls actually run in 2024 and 2025.