NIDHI-EIR
A programme by Incubation Centre IIT Patna
A DST entrepreneur-in-residence stipend, hosted at IC IITP, for a founder to work full-time on a technology business idea for a year.
At a glance
| Best for | First-generation entrepreneurs with a science or engineering background and no current income |
|---|---|
| Stage | Idea |
| Duration | 12 months |
| Format | In person |
| Cost | Free |
| Grant support | For selected startups. A place in the programme does not by itself guarantee a grant. |
| Run with | Department of Science and Technology (NIDHI) |
About NIDHI-EIR
NIDHI-EIR is a Department of Science and Technology fellowship for a first-generation innovative entrepreneur to work full-time on a technology business idea for a year, without holding any other paid role at the same time.
What you get
- A monthly stipend for 12 months
- Guidance from mentors and experts on turning the idea into a product and on commercialisation
- Access to co-working space and lab facilities for prototyping
Who can apply
- An Indian citizen who has completed 4 years of full-time undergraduate/postgraduate education in science or engineering (or a 3-year degree/diploma plus 2 years' work experience)
- Willing to work on the idea full-time, with no other concurrent remuneration or fellowship
How to apply: download the application format from the NIDHI-EIR page and email it to the programme's inbox.
Where to apply
Other Incubation Centre IIT Patna programmes
- Resident / Non-Resident Incubation ProgrammeIC IITP's core incubation track for ESDM, medical-electronics and ICT hardware startups, with lab access, mentoring and a seed fund.
- Pre-Incubation ProgrammeA short, no-cost stage for teams not yet ready to pitch for full incubation.
- BioNEST-ICIITPA BIRAC and DBT-backed incubation track for life-sciences, MedTech and biotech founders, with its own dedicated space and labs.
- NIDHI PrayasDST's prototype-development scheme, hosted at IC IITP; its most recent application window has closed.
- Startup India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS)DPIIT's national seed-fund scheme, disbursed through IC IITP as an empanelled incubator.
- GENESIS at IC IITPMeitY's Tier-II/III city startup scheme, run at IC IITP across three separate tracks — entrepreneur-in-residence, pilot funding, and matching investment.
- MedTech SchoolA paid, week-long short course on medical-device innovation for students, founders, faculty and industry.
- Entrepreneurship Development Programme cum Internship (EDPI)A recurring, multi-week weekly programme combining entrepreneurship training with an internship, run with EdTech partner Moonpreneur.
- IdeathonA recurring idea-pitching competition for life-sciences ideas, feeding into BioNEST incubation. Its most recent edition, Ideathon 2.0, closed in March 2025.