Gujarat Student Startup and Innovation Hub (i-Hub)

Start by matching the programme to your stage

i-Hub runs separate programmes for different needs, so the first step is choosing the right one.

• Taking a proof of concept towards a product: Startup Srujan Seed Support (S4).
• Protecting a patent, trademark, copyright or design: the intellectual property support programme.
• Solving a stated industry problem in a sector such as defence, energy or ITC: the Mind to Market Open Innovation Challenge.
• Looking for structured incubation with space and mentoring: Startup Grow.
• A woman founder: WEstart, which has sub-tracks from capacity building through to incubation.

Check who can apply

The seed-support and challenge programmes are for innovators and startups from Gujarat, usually up to 35 years of age, and are open to school students, Diploma, Vocational, Undergraduate, Postgraduate and Doctoral students or alumni, and dropouts. The intellectual property programme has its own set of conditions, including eligibility or beneficiary status under the state innovation policy, being a beneficiary of another Government of Gujarat startup scheme, or being registered with the Registrar of Companies in Gujarat and recognised by DPIIT. Confirm you meet at least one before applying.

How applications work

Applications are made through the i-Hub portal after you register and log in. For the intellectual property programme you also choose a facilitator from i-Hub's empanelled list, and support is released in two instalments. Programme-specific questions go to the relevant role inbox, with general queries to support@ihubgujarat.in.

Gujarat Student Startup and Innovation Hub, known as i-Hub, is an incubation setup for student innovators and early-stage startups in Gujarat. It was established under the Student Startup and Innovation Policy by the Education Department, Government of Gujarat, and is run as a not-for-profit company registered under Section 8 of the Companies Act 2013. It works from a campus at Navrangpura in Ahmedabad.

i-Hub describes its purpose as building an end-to-end innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem across the state, creating pathways from idea to market. It does this through a set of flagship programmes rather than a single scheme, covering seed support, help with protecting intellectual property, open-innovation challenges, an incubation programme and a women-focused track.

What they support

i-Hub's programmes are aimed at student innovators and startups from Gujarat. Across its seed and challenge programmes, applicants are typically up to 35 years of age and include school students up to Class 12, Diploma, Vocational, Undergraduate, Postgraduate and Doctoral students or alumni, and school or institute dropouts. Teams are supported from the idea and proof-of-concept stage through validation and early-stage growth.

The intellectual property programme reaches a slightly wider group: students and startup founders, co-founders, directors or partners who meet one of several conditions, such as being eligible or a beneficiary under the state's innovation policy, being a beneficiary of another Government of Gujarat startup scheme, or being registered with the Registrar of Companies in Gujarat and recognised by DPIIT.

Programmes

i-Hub runs several standing programmes. Startup Srujan Seed Support (S4) is a seed-support programme that helps student innovators take a proof of concept towards a product or market stage. The intellectual property support programme offers reimbursement-style assistance for securing patents, copyrights, trademarks, designs and related rights, disbursed through empanelled IP facilitators. The Mind to Market Open Innovation Challenge invites innovators to solve sector-specific industrial problem statements, across tracks such as defence, energy and ITC. Startup Grow is an 18-month incubation programme offering mentorship, co-working space, IP support, networking and access to funding, with a certificate from a recognised government university on completion. WEstart is a women-focused flagship with sub-tracks spanning capacity building, pre-incubation and a longer incubation phase, and a partnership track with WE Hub in Telangana.

Facilities and support

i-Hub provides co-working space to its startups, with the Startup Grow incubation programme listing co-working space among its inclusions and a separate application route for desks. It also offers mentorship, networking and support with protecting intellectual property through a panel of empanelled facilitators.

Who runs it

i-Hub was set up under the Student Startup and Innovation Policy by the Education Department, Government of Gujarat, and operates as a Section 8 not-for-profit company. The state policy provides the funding behind i-Hub's schemes.

How to apply

Most programmes are applied for through the i-Hub portal after registering and logging in. Each flagship has its own route: the seed-support and open-innovation programmes take applications directly through the portal, the intellectual property programme asks applicants to select a facilitator from an empanelled list, and the incubation programme prompts registration before applying. Programme-specific queries go to the relevant role inboxes, such as srujan@ihubgujarat.in for seed support, ipfc@ihubgujarat.in for IP support and m2m@ihubgujarat.in for the open-innovation challenge, with general queries to support@ihubgujarat.in.