SINE

Introduction

Department of Science and Technology (DST), launched National Initiative for Developing and Harnessing Innovations (NIDHI) an umbrella programme in 2016 for nurturing ideas and innovations (knowledge-based and technology-driven) into successful startups.

One of the key initiative under NIDHI is PRAYAS (Promotion & Acceleration of Young And Aspiring innovators and startups) an early stage prototype/proof of concept funding to convert the technology ideas and innovation into products. It would also facilitate the innovators with the Physical infrastructure, Technical guidance and Business mentorship. The emphasis is to foster indigenously developed innovations and product in alignment with the nation's "AtmaNirbharBharat Mission". This program would attract large number of youngsters to come forward to try out their ideas without actually worrying about the failure.

The program is implemented by various incubators acting as PRAYAS centres. PRAYAS also helps incubators to generate the potential pipeline for incubation and positioned as preincubation initiative.

Each Selected PC Shall Receive Grant Upto:

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INR 1 cr Capital Expenditure for PRAYAS SHALA if facility is not present in the Incubator.

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INR 1 cr each year for grants to innovators (INR 10 lakh each for 10 innovators)

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INR 20 lakh each year for annual operations, management of Fab Lab including to hire dedicated team, technical experts etc. furnishing costs, I.P databases, consumables, utilities and administrative costs for management of PRAYAS program.

DST has nominated Society for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (SINE), IIT Bombay as a Program Management Unit (PMU) to implement and monitor the program nationally. Currently five cycles have been implemented with support to 57 PRAYAS centres spanned across 18 states and 1850+ innovators/startups have been supported so far.