Uttishthati Foundation i-TBI, NIT Hamirpur

Overview

Uttishthati Foundation is a Section-8 not-for-profit incorporated in September 2023 as the host entity for the Inclusive Technology Business Incubator (i-TBI) at the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh. It is funded under the Department of Science and Technology's i-TBI scheme for NIDHI-NEB (National Initiative for Developing & Harnessing Innovations — New Entrepreneur Bharosa).

Infrastructure

The foundation operates from a 7,118 sq ft dedicated incubation space inside the NIT Hamirpur campus, with prototyping labs, co-working desks, meeting rooms, and shared access to NIT's mechanical, electrical, and computing labs.

Programmes

The flagship offering is the Ignition Grant programme. Cohort 1.0 awarded 14 startup projects with ignition grants during the National Startup Summit 2026. Cohort 2.0 (Ignition Grant 2.0) is the current open call with grants of up to ₹10 lakh per startup, non-dilutive. The Foundation also runs:

• Pre-incubation bootcamps for student entrepreneurs and idea-stage founders
• Prototype development support with access to NIT Hamirpur's workshops
• Mentoring & advisory from a Board of Directors and Board of Governors drawn from academia and industry
• Investor & accelerator connects through the DST NIDHI network

Focus Areas

Sector-agnostic, with strong representation from manufacturing, agritech, mountain-region livelihoods, IoT/hardware, healthtech, and rural innovation reflecting the Himachal context.

Eligibility

Open to early-stage founders nationally, with priority for Himachal Pradesh and Western Himalayan region founders, NIT Hamirpur alumni and students, and ventures addressing mountain-region or rural problems. Both incorporated startups and idea-stage applicants are eligible depending on the programme.

Who Should Apply

First-time founders, student entrepreneurs, and early-stage startups — particularly from Himachal Pradesh and neighbouring Himalayan states — looking for grant capital plus academic/lab incubation in a regional centre.