National Forensic Sciences University

Is this the right fit

• The incubation is for technology startups, not general service businesses.
• It takes startups at prototype or MVP stage. A startup still at idea stage should not expect a place.
• Startups formed by splitting an existing business are not eligible.

How selection works

• A preliminary screening of the application.
• A pitch of your idea and business plan to a selection committee.
• Selected startups are invited into the 24-month programme.

What to show in the application

• Your product or technology, and the problem it solves.
• Where the product stands today: prototype or MVP.
• Your incorporation date and your company type.

NFSU-RIC is the NFSU Research and Innovation Council, a company incorporated under Section 8 of the Companies Act, 2013. It operates from the National Forensic Sciences University in Sector-9, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, and it runs a startup incubation programme for early technology companies.

The incubation programme is aimed at the core and applied forensics problems that NFSU-RIC describes as its focus. It is not limited to forensics alone: the open call takes any indigenous solution to an existing technical problem, provided the startup is registered in India.

How the programme works

The incubation runs for 24 months. A further 6 months can be granted once the 24 months are complete. Startups that are selected receive guidance and nurturing support, help promoting their product at events, IPR support, and access to seed funding. They also get access to NFSU labs as space allows, and help with legal matters and company formation.

Where space is available, NFSU-RIC may provide co-working office space at any NFSU campus across India.

Who can apply

Any startup that meets the Government of India definition of a startup can apply. It must be a private limited company, an LLP or a registered partnership firm. It must have been incorporated no more than five years earlier, and it must be working on innovation, development or improvement of a product, process or service. The company should not have been formed by splitting up or reconstructing an existing business, and its turnover in any financial year since incorporation should not have exceeded the cap set out in the eligibility rules.

The startup should be at least at a prototype or MVP stage. A startup that is not yet registered at the time of selection is given three months to complete its formalities. The startup should be technology-driven and product-oriented, and startups that solve existing problems with a technological or scientific method are given preference.

How to apply

Apply by filling in the application form on the NFSU-RIC website. After a preliminary screening, shortlisted startups are invited to present their idea and business plan to a selection committee. A one-time, non-refundable registration fee applies. Terms beyond that are set case by case, depending on the stage of the startup.

Queries can be sent to ric-nfsu@nfsu.ac.in.

Who runs it

NFSU-RIC operates from the National Forensic Sciences University, Sector-9, Gandhinagar. It describes its work as research, innovation and consultancy across scientific and technological domains.

Locations

The incubation centre is in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. Co-working space may be offered at other NFSU campuses across India, depending on availability.