Nitrrfie

Choosing the right route

• Ideas that are not yet a company can start on the pre-incubation track, which includes access to the 24x7 Makerspace at NIT Raipur.
• Startups ready for office space and structured mentoring should apply to the incubation programme.

How applications work

• Apply through the online form linked from the site's Apply for Incubation button.
• Include a detailed business plan. The policy lists the sections it expects.
• Outside applicants apply to the foundation directly. Applicants linked to NIT Raipur go through the Institute Startup Committee first.

What reviewers look for

• A business plan that covers the market and competition, revenue model, milestones, risks and projected financials.
• A founding team able to present the plan to a panel of experts.
• Ethics committee clearance where a startup's work involves human subjects.

Before you apply

• Confirm whether student applicants are eligible, because the two policy pages differ.
• Ask for the current stay terms, since the pages describe the 24-month stay and its extension in slightly different ways.

NIT Raipur Foundation for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (NITRRFIE) is the technology business incubator of National Institute of Technology Raipur, in Chhattisgarh. It was established in March 2021 as a not-for-profit company under Section 8 of the Companies Act 2013, and it supports technology-based startups from idea to market.

How the incubator works

NITRRFIE runs an incubation centre for admitted startups and a pre-incubation route for ideas that are not yet companies. Admitted startups get individual office space, internet access and access to computing facilities, along with shared facilities such as meeting rooms and a cafeteria. The foundation also helps with startup registration and filings, legal advice, intellectual property filings for copyrights, trade marks and patents, and introductions to alumni, mentors and investors.

It is a Technology Business Incubator under the National Initiative for Developing and Harnessing Innovations (NIDHI) of the Department of Science and Technology. Its stated focus areas are cleantech, information and communication technology, and multidisciplinary technology integration.

Who can apply

Admission is open to people linked to NIT Raipur and to outside applicants with relevant ideas. The site's two policy pages give different lists of who qualifies. One includes students of NIT Raipur and the other does not, so confirm this with the foundation before applying as a student. Human subject research in a startup needs clearance from the institute's ethics committee.

How selection works

Applications from NIT Raipur-linked applicants are first recommended by the Institute Startup Committee, which then passes them to the foundation for screening. Outside applicants apply to the foundation directly. The business plan should cover the startup description, value proposition, products and services, market and competition analysis, revenue model, milestones, risks, funding needs and projected financials. If the first review is positive, founders present to a panel of experts. Admitted startups then sign a formal agreement with the foundation.

What the foundation takes in return

The site says that, in lieu of support, utilities and services, incubated companies are charged in the form of equity and/or revenue sharing. Admitted companies also pay a nominal monthly charge for office space. Startups report progress to the foundation every quarter in a prescribed format.

Stay and exit

The site describes an initial stay of 24 months, extendable by 12 months after review, with an exit point at 36 months. One policy version adds that the foundation may extend a stay further at its own discretion. The two policy pages describe this slightly differently, so ask the team for the current terms. A startup may leave earlier with three months' notice, after clearing its dues.

Intellectual property

Where the institute's facilities or funds are used substantially, or the work comes out of curriculum or pre-incubation activity, intellectual property is owned jointly by the inventors and the institute. Work developed without institute resources, and by staff and faculty outside office hours, stays with the inventors.

Where it is and who runs it

The foundation is based at the Career Development Centre on the second floor of NIT Raipur's G.E. Road campus in Raipur, Chhattisgarh. NIT Raipur is the erstwhile Government Engineering College Raipur. The foundation's board includes NIT Raipur's director and the head of its Career Development Centre, and its incubation cell has a professor in charge and an incubation manager. The foundation works with the Department of Science and Technology, and it has signed memoranda of understanding with other institutions for cross-incubation and mentoring.

Centres on campus

The foundation hosts the MeitY IndiaAI Chhattisgarh Centre of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence, which runs startup incubation, skilling and industry challenges in AI. The MACIEET centre lists cleantech, 3D printing, robotics, AR-VR and IoT, and blockchain and cybersecurity labs as proposed facilities.

Scale

The home page reports 50+ startups incubated, 450+ applications received and 300+ mentors and advisors. These are the foundation's own counters, and the page does not date them.