StartupGrants India
CfHE
Incubator

CfHE

Hyderabad, Telangana, India

Healthcare incubator at IIT Hyderabad, approved by the Department of Science and Technology as a technology business incubator, running a one-year fellowship and an incubation programme.

Official website

CfHE at a glance

AddressHyderabad, Telangana, India
Programmes2 standing programmes
Official websitecfhe.org.in

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Programmes they run

Standing programmes at CfHE, separate from the funding calls above.

The fellowship is the programme with a dated call on the site. Check its page for the current intake.

CfHE Fellowship in Healthcare Entrepreneurship

Fellowship

A one-year, in-residence, hands-on fellowship at IIT Hyderabad, aimed at healthcare innovation and commercialised medtech solutions.

Best for: Individuals with a strong drive for healthcare innovation

  • 1 year
  • In person
  • Grant support for selected startups
What you get, who can apply and how to apply

The CfHE Fellowship is a one-year, in-residence, hands-on programme hosted at IIT Hyderabad. It bridges the gap between clinical needs and commercialised medtech solutions, and successful fellows get a direct pathway to startup incubation.

What you get

  • A hands-on year in residence at IIT Hyderabad
  • A direct pathway into the CfHE Incubation Program for successful, high-potential teams
  • A CfHE seed grant for fellows who graduate and get incubated. By its own account, over 70% of fellows do.

Who can apply

  • Individuals with a strong drive for healthcare innovation

How to apply: Use the Apply Now button on the fellowship page. The fellowship call on the site is for 2025–26.

Official programme page

CfHE Incubation Program

Incubation

Incubation that partners with healthcare startups across their lifecycle, with technology and clinical partnerships, business mentoring and access to services.

Best for: Healthcare startups

What you get, who can apply and how to apply

CfHE describes its incubation as a continuum that partners with a startup and builds the company together.

What you get

  • Technology and clinical partnerships
  • Business mentoring
  • Accounting, auditing, legal and intellectual property support, as discounted services from partners

Who can apply

The pages do not set out who can apply. Successful and high-potential fellowship teams are welcomed into the programme.

How to apply: The pages do not say how to apply. Ask through the contact page on the website.

Official programme page

Labs & facilities

Equipment and space on campus.

Office space

Listed among the managerial services CfHE extends. The pages do not give its size or capacity.

Support services

Help offered alongside funding and space.

Business advisory

Business mentoring alongside the incubation.

Legal & finance

Accounting, auditing and legal support, as discounted services from partners.

IP & patents

Intellectual property support, as discounted services from partners.

Recognitions & empanelments

Official approvals this incubator holds.

DST-approved technology business incubator

Department of Science and Technology approval of CfHE as a technology business incubator in healthcare.

How to apply to CfHE

Choose the right programme

  • Fellowship: for individuals with a strong drive for healthcare innovation who can take a one-year, in-residence programme at IIT Hyderabad.
  • Incubation: for healthcare startups. The pages do not say how to join from outside the fellowship, so ask through the contact page on the website.

How applications work

  • Fellowship applications start from the Apply Now button on the fellowship page.
  • The fellowship call on the site is for 2025–26. Check the fellowship page for current dates before you apply.

How selection works

  • Successful and high-potential fellows move into the CfHE Incubation Program.

About CfHE

The Foundation for the Center for Healthcare Entrepreneurship, known as CfHE, is a healthcare incubator hosted at IIT Hyderabad in Telangana. It is a Department of Science and Technology approved technology business incubator in healthcare, working with startups from its fellowship through to incubation.

How its programmes work

The CfHE Fellowship in Healthcare Entrepreneurship is a one-year, in-residence, hands-on programme hosted at IIT Hyderabad. It is meant to bridge the gap between clinical needs and commercialised medtech solutions, and successful fellows get a direct pathway to startup incubation. The fellowship call on the site is for 2025–26.

Successful and high-potential fellowship teams are welcomed into the CfHE Incubation Program. CfHE describes its incubation as a continuum that partners with a startup and builds the company together, combining technology and clinical partnerships with business mentoring and access to services across the life of the company. The site does not say whether founders outside the fellowship can apply, or whether the incubation has an open intake.

A BioNEST bio-incubation centre, announced by DBT's BIRAC, is being set up at CfHE, focused on medical devices and technologies.

Who can apply

The fellowship is open to individuals with a strong drive for healthcare innovation, according to its 2025–26 call. The pages do not set out eligibility for the incubation.

Facilities

Office space is among the managerial services CfHE extends, according to its about page. The pages do not give the size or capacity of that space.

Support services

Business mentoring is part of the incubation. CfHE also offers accounting, auditing, legal and intellectual property support, delivered as discounted services from its partners.

Track record

By its own account, over 70% of fellows graduate and get incubated, with a CfHE seed grant. Since 2017 it has taken 12 fellows through to 7 companies. Its impact and startups pages list more incubatee companies than that, and the figures are not reconciled on the site. Its startups have also raised grants, including BIRAC's Biotechnology Ignition Grant.

Who runs it

The Foundation for the Center for Healthcare Entrepreneurship is sponsored by two IIT Bombay alumni, according to its about page.

Who they work with

Sectors

Tags

Frequently asked questions about CfHE

What is CfHE?

CfHE is an incubator based in Hyderabad, Telangana.

What does CfHE do?

The Foundation for the Center for Healthcare Entrepreneurship, known as CfHE, is a healthcare incubator hosted at IIT Hyderabad in Telangana. It is a Department of Science and Technology approved technology business incubator in healthcare, working with startups from its fellowship through to incubation.

Where is CfHE located?

CfHE is based in Hyderabad, Telangana, India.

What programs does CfHE run?

CfHE runs CfHE Fellowship in Healthcare Entrepreneurship and CfHE Incubation Program.

Does CfHE provide funding?

Selected startups in some CfHE programmes can receive grant support, including CfHE Fellowship in Healthcare Entrepreneurship. Grant amounts are set per programme and cohort, and selection into a programme does not guarantee a grant — check the programme's own page for current terms.

What sectors does CfHE support?

CfHE works with startups in HealthTech.

What facilities does CfHE offer?

CfHE offers Office space.

Is CfHE government recognised?

CfHE holds the following recognitions and affiliations: DST-approved technology business incubator.

How do I apply to CfHE?

- Fellowship: for individuals with a strong drive for healthcare innovation who can take a one-year, in-residence programme at IIT Hyderabad. - Incubation: for healthcare startups. The pages do not say how to join from outside the fellowship, so ask through the contact page on the website. - Fellowship applications start from the Apply Now button on the fellowship page.