DeepTech grants for startups

41 grants, prizes and schemes written for DeepTech startups. Grants open to every sector are on the main grants page.

Open all yearReimbursement
Design Linked Incentive (DLI) Scheme
Ministry of Electronics and IT (India Semiconductor Mission, with C-DAC)
Up to 50% of eligible design costs, capped at ₹15 crore; plus 6% to 4% of net sales for 5 years, capped at ₹30 croreCo-funding chip and semiconductor design projects, plus EDA tools and design infrastructure
Open nowGrant
DRDO Technology Development Fund (TDF)
Ministry of Defence, executed by DRDO
Projects up to ₹50 crore; TDF funds up to 90% of costGrants for Indian industry to develop defence and dual-use technologies
Closes 13 Nov 2026Grant
ELEVATE NxT 2026 (Karnataka DeepTech Grant)
Department of Electronics, IT, BT and S&T, Government of Karnataka (KITS) Karnataka
Up to ₹1 croreGrant in aid for deep tech startups from anywhere in India building science based products
Open all yearGrant plus other support
Gen-Next Support for Innovative Startups (GENESIS)
MeitY Startup Hub, Ministry of Electronics and IT
Up to ₹10 lakh early stage; up to ₹50 lakh for pilots; up to ₹1 crore for deep techFunding for tech startups in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, from idea to pilot and deep tech
Open all yearReimbursement
Goa Startup Skill Enhancement Scheme
Startup and IT Promotion Cell (SITPC), Department of IT, Government of Goa Goa
50% of course fees, up to ₹1 lakh (one time)Half the cost of AI and emerging technology courses for startup employees
Open all yearMonthly allowance
Goa Women Entrepreneur Vitality Scheme
Startup and IT Promotion Cell (SITPC), Department of IT, Government of Goa Goa
₹20,000 a month for up to 12 monthsMonthly allowance for women founded startups in emerging technologies
Open all yearGrant
Make-I (Government Funded) under the Defence Acquisition Procedure
Department of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence
Up to 70% of prototype development cost, capped at ₹250 crore per development agencyGovernment co-funding to develop a defence prototype for a notified Make-I project
Open all yearGrant
National Quantum Mission Startup Support (Thematic Hubs)
Department of Science and Technology (National Quantum Mission)
Amount set per startupFunding, mentoring and lab access for quantum technology startups through four hubs
Open all yearGrant plus other support
NM-ICPS Technology Innovation Hubs: Startup and Fellowship Support
Department of Science and Technology (NM-ICPS)
Set by each hubSeed funding, fellowships and incubation at 25 deep tech innovation hubs
Open all yearReimbursement
Odisha IT Policy Patent Registration Incentive
Electronics and IT Department, Government of Odisha (OCAC as nodal agency) Odisha
75% of patent costs. Up to ₹2 lakh per Indian patent, ₹10 lakh per unit. Up to ₹5 lakh per foreign patent, ₹25 lakh per unit.Refunds most patent filing costs for IT companies and startups operating from Odisha
Open all yearReimbursement
Odisha IT Policy R&D Incentive for Software Products
Electronics and IT Department, Government of Odisha (OCAC as nodal agency) Odisha
50% of R&D costs, including staff costs. Up to ₹1 crore a year.Refunds half of R&D spending, salaries included, once an Odisha software product is built
Open all yearGrant
Oil India Start-up Scheme (SNEH)
Oil India Limited (OIL), Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas
Grant up to proof of concept, set per project budget. Equity possible after that.Oil India funds and incubates tech startups, with grants up to proof of concept
Open all yearEquity
ONGC Start-up Fund
Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas
Investment amount set per startup from a ₹100 crore fundONGC invests seed capital and mentors energy sector startups from a ₹100 crore fund
Open all yearFellowship
Social Alpha Entrepreneur in Residence Fellowship
Social Alpha
₹60,000 a month, plus a chance to pitch for up to ₹50 lakhMonthly stipend for science founders building early technology for underserved people
Open all yearGrant
TCOE India: Prototyping, PoC, Validation and Pilot Support
Department of Telecommunications, through Telecom Centres of Excellence India
Up to 80% of cost, max ₹50 lakh per pilotGrants to pilot and validate telecom and ICT products in live networks
Open all yearReimbursement
Uttar Pradesh Compute Power Reimbursement (Startup Policy 2026)
IT and Electronics Department, Government of Uttar Pradesh (UP Startup Mission) Uttar Pradesh
50% of spend above ₹50,000, up to ₹2 lakh a yearPart refund of data centre and cloud bills
Open all yearGrant plus other support
Uttar Pradesh Royalty Based R&D Matching Grant for Deep Tech Startups (Startup Policy 2026)
IT and Electronics Department, Government of Uttar Pradesh (UP Startup Mission) Uttar Pradesh
Up to 40% of verified R&D spendMatches up to 40% of verified R&D spend for deep tech startups, repaid only through royalty after revenue
ClosedPrize
5G Innovation Hackathon
Department of Telecommunications
₹5 lakh first, ₹3 lakh second, ₹1.5 lakh third; ₹1 lakh prototype funding for top teamsPrizes and prototype funding for 5G use case solutions
ClosedGrant
Bharat Byte Semiconductor Startup Accelerator (AIC IIT Delhi)
AIC IIT Delhi Sonipat Innovation Foundation and FITT IIT Delhi, with Cadence and Atal Innovation Mission
Up to ₹10 lakhGrant, free incubation and chip design tools for semiconductor and VLSI startups
ClosedGrant
BRBNMPL and Venture Center CSR Grant
Bharatiya Reserve Bank Note Mudran (CSR), run by Venture Center Pune
Up to ₹5 lakhProof of concept, prototype validation and pilots for sustainability technologies
Closes 2 Nov 2026Convertible
Breakthrough Energy Fellows (Innovator Fellowship)
Breakthrough Energy (Breakthrough Energy Foundation)
Up to $500,000, invested as a SAFER&D funding and a one-year fellowship for early-stage climate hard-tech founders
ClosedGrant
C-DOT Samarth Incubation Programme
Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), Department of Telecommunications
Up to ₹5 lakh, plus 6 months of office space, lab access and mentoringSix month incubation with a grant, office space and labs for telecom and ICT startups
ClosedGrant
Cochin Shipyard Ushus Startup Programme
Cochin Shipyard Limited (Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways)
Seed grant up to ₹50 lakh; pilot grant up to ₹1 croreGrants for maritime, shipping, port and inland waterway startups to build MVPs and run pilots
ClosedGrant plus other support
COMET 5G Springboard 6
IIIT-B COMET Foundation (DST technology hub at IIIT Bangalore)
Up to ₹1 croreFunding and support for deep tech teams in 5G, AI, IoT and cyber-physical systems
ClosedPrize
Cyber Security Grand Challenge
Ministry of Electronics and IT, with Data Security Council of India
Edition 2.0: ₹5 lakh idea stage, ₹10 lakh MVP stage, ₹25 lakh finalists; top prize ₹1 croreStaged prizes for Indian startups solving published cybersecurity problem statements
Closes 4 Nov 2026Grant plus other support
EIC Accelerator (Horizon Europe)
European Innovation Council, European Commission
Grant under €2.5 million, plus optional equity up to €10 millionGrant, with optional equity, to scale breakthrough deep tech at TRL 6 to 8
ClosedGrant
HDFC Bank Parivartan SINE Spark Program
SINE, IIT Bombay, with HDFC Bank Parivartan (CSR)
Up to ₹50 lakh per startup, linked to milestonesMilestone grants for early-revenue deep-tech startups at TRL 5 or above
ClosedGrant
iDEX ADITI (Acing Development of Innovative Technologies with iDEX)
Defence Innovation Organisation, Ministry of Defence
Up to 50% of the product development budget, capped at ₹25 croreDeveloping critical and strategic defence technologies from a published list
ClosedGrant
iDEX Defence India Startup Challenge (DISC)
Defence Innovation Organisation, Ministry of Defence
Up to ₹1.5 crore per problem statementBuilding a prototype that solves a published armed forces problem statement
ClosedGrant
iDEX PRIME
Defence Innovation Organisation, Ministry of Defence
Up to ₹10 croreLarger defence development projects that exceed the DISC ceiling
ClosedGrant
IDFC FIRST Bank IGNITE (FITT IIT Delhi track)
FITT, IIT Delhi, with IDFC FIRST Bank CSR
Up to ₹30 lakh grant per startupPatient capital grants for deep-tech and clean-tech startups incubated at FITT, IIT Delhi
ClosedGrant
IDFC FIRST Bank IGNITE (SINE IIT Bombay track)
SINE, IIT Bombay, with IDFC FIRST Bank CSR
Up to ₹25 lakh, paid over 6 months against milestonesMilestone grant and mentoring for environment tech startups at TRL 6 or above
ClosedGrant
India-Finland Joint Innovation Call
DST India via Technology Development Board, with Business Finland
Up to ₹2.5 crore per project (50% of Indian cost)Joint India-Finland R&D grants in telecom, AI and microelectronics
ClosedPrize
James Dyson Award
James Dyson Foundation
₹6.46 lakh (national winner) up to ₹36.5 lakh (international winner)Cash prize for student and recent graduate inventions that solve a real problem
Closes 31 Oct 2026Grant
Kotak BizLabs Season 3
Kotak Mahindra Bank CSR, with IIMA Ventures, NSRCEL, T-Hub, FITT and IIM Calcutta Innovation Park
Up to ₹30 lakhCSR grants and acceleration for revenue-stage impact startups
ClosedGrant
KSUM R&D Grant (Kerala)
Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM), Government of Kerala Kerala
Up to ₹30 lakhGrant to turn a hardware or deep tech prototype into a final product through R&D
ClosedPrize
MC² Energy Startup Challenge (formerly Avinya)
Federation of Indian Petroleum Industry (FIPI), via Startup India
₹3 lakh (1st), ₹2 lakh (2nd), ₹1 lakh (3rd)Cash prizes and India Energy Week showcase for energy sector startups
ClosedPrize
NXP India Tech Startup Challenge
NXP Semiconductors India, with Startup India
₹10 lakh shared equally by the top 3Prize money and incubation for semiconductor, embedded and IoT startups
ClosedGrant
S&T-FIRST (Ministry of Coal)
Ministry of Coal, coordinated by CMPDI (Coal India)
Up to ₹2 crore per project, paid on milestonesStartup projects that solve coal and lignite sector problem statements
ClosedSubsidy
Sikkim Start-up R&D Lab Capital Subsidy
Commerce and Industries Department, Government of Sikkim Sikkim
50% of lab setup cost, up to ₹10 lakhHalf the cost of setting up an R&D lab in Sikkim
ClosedGrant
US-India Science and Technology Endowment Fund (USISTEF)
Indo-US Science and Technology Forum, for DST India and the US Department of State
About ₹1.5 crore per project (2026 call)Joint India-US grants to take technologies to market in rotating themes

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