SHITIJ
A programme by Pusa Krishi, ICAR-IARI
A year-long incubation programme that opens with fifteen days of in-person training and mentoring at Pusa Krishi.
At a glance
| Best for | Early-stage agri startups wanting a year of incubation on the Pusa campus |
|---|---|
| Stage | Idea – MVP |
| Duration | 15-day training block, then a one-year incubation programme, extendable |
| Format | Hybrid |
About SHITIJ
SHITIJ gives early-stage agri startups capacity building, infrastructure and a year of incubation. It starts with a fifteen-day intensive training and mentoring block with experts across domains, designed to build technical and business understanding and get the cohort collaborating, and then moves into the incubation year at Pusa Krishi with continuous assessment. The incubation period can be extended for teams that perform well. No intake was open when this was written and no dates are published. Pusa Krishi's own history dates the programme to 2021-22.
What you get
- Fifteen days of intensive training and mentoring with experts across domains
- A year of incubation at Pusa Krishi with continuous assessment and support, extendable on strong performance
- Infrastructure and resources at the Pusa campus
- Collaboration with the other startups in the cohort
Who can apply
- Indian citizens with an idea, innovation or early-stage startup in agriculture or an allied sector
- You may apply if you have already raised funding — SHITIJ states no restriction
- One innovation per applicant
How selection works: Applications are evaluated on need, novelty, technical feasibility, business viability, scalability, social impact, market size, team capabilities and projected financial growth, and shortlisted applicants attend a selection committee interview.
How to apply: Watch the SHITIJ page for the next call. An application can be saved and finished later but cannot be edited once submitted.
Where to apply
Other Pusa Krishi, ICAR-IARI programmes
- ARISEPusa Krishi's entry-level incubation programme for idea and prototype-stage agri innovations, which opens into a year of incubation with grant support.
- UPJAIncubation programme for agri startups with a product already at minimum viable product stage, carrying Pusa Krishi's largest grant support.
- ICAR SHITIJ 2.0An ICAR-wide incubation programme delivered hub-and-spoke across the ICAR Agribusiness Incubation Centre network, with a two-month online phase.
- BEEJA fourteen-day online pre-incubation masterclass series for students and first-time founders in agri-tech, ending in a certificate.
- Her HarvestA five-day online workshop series with women entrepreneurs and changemakers, charged as a one-time fee.
- MAITRIPusa Krishi's international collaboration programme, whose India-Brazil editions brought startups and incubators together in 2019, 2021 and 2025.
- SAMARTHA capacity-building programme for agri-incubators and incubation managers in the RKVY-RAFTAAR network — not a startup intake.
- Agripreneurship development trainingsShort, paid, hands-on courses at the Pusa campus run with ICAR-IARI's subject divisions — the one thing usually open to register for between intakes.