National Institute of Technology Tiruchirappalli

Choosing the right route

• NIT Trichy faculty and students with an early idea should start with the Naviya pre-incubation programme.
• Teams that already have a product in ICT, electronics or a related technology area should write to the CEDI office about the main incubation programme.
• Check which calls are open. CEDI's pages mix calls from 2024, 2025 and 2026, and some have already closed.

How applications work

• Pre-incubation applications use the online form linked from CEDI's flyer.
• Calls for camps and special ideas list their own form or QR code and a closing date.
• Questions about open intakes go to cedioffice@nitt.edu.

How selection works

• The pages do not describe the selection steps. Ask the CEDI office for the review process before you apply.

NIT Tiruchirappalli, known as NIT Trichy, supports student and faculty technology start-ups through the Centre for Entrepreneurship Development and Incubation, called CEDI. CEDI is a company promoted by the institute. It works from the third floor of the Central Library on the NIT campus in Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, and was established in 2012.

How CEDI programmes work

CEDI runs a pipeline of programmes. Pre-incubation, called Naviya, takes an idea to a minimum viable product over six to twelve months. The main incubation programme then takes a team from that product to the market over 24 to 36 months. A later acceleration stage covers scale-up over six to twelve months. Pre-incubatees move into the main incubation programme once they finish the pre-incubation stage.

CEDI also runs one-off calls and camps. A sensitisation camp for new and early-stage start-up teams was held on the NIT campus on 8 January 2026. A call under the MeitY GENESIS Entrepreneur in Residence scheme closed on 31 October 2025.

Who can apply

The pre-incubation programme is open to NIT Trichy faculty members and to students from undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD courses. The GENESIS Entrepreneur in Residence call was for early-stage start-ups in electronic design and manufacturing, deeptech software and product, and ICT space. The main incubation programme focuses on technology start-ups in ICT and electronics, with work in areas such as embedded systems, IoT, AI and machine learning.

Facilities and support

Incubatee companies can use the institute's common infrastructure, its departmental laboratories and other resources for product development. Incubatees can also take on NIT Trichy students as interns. CEDI provides mentoring for mobilising funds, reaching markets and building management skills, and it arranges networking sessions for founders.

Funding

CEDI's pages describe seed funding for technology-oriented business ideas, a reimbursement of minimum viable product expenses under the pre-incubation route, and a start-up grant under the GENESIS call. The amounts are set for each call and change over time, so check the current call before applying.

Figures on the site

The CEDI homepage shows a count of 35 start-ups. Its text also says that CEDI has incubated 10 innovative businesses in the last three years. The two figures do not match, so this page does not give a single count of start-ups supported.

Who runs it

CEDI is an independent company promoted by NIT Trichy. Its office can be reached at cedioffice@nitt.edu.

Location

CEDI is located in the Central Library building, NIT Campus, Tiruchirappalli 620015, Tamil Nadu.