DST-iTBI NIT Agartala Call for Incubation & Ignition Grant

• Equity-free ignition grant of Rs. 2 lakh to Rs. 5 lakh.
• Up to 20 startups incubated, of which up to 10 receive ignition grants.
• Co-working space, mentorship, training, and infrastructure access.
• A minimum six-month incubation programme, with benefits available for up to three years.
• For startups under two years old with annual turnover below Rs. 25 lakh.
• Applications open 15 May to 30 June 2026.

About this scheme

NITA-FIIE, the NIT Agartala Foundation for Innovation, Incubation and Entrepreneurship, has opened applications for incubation backing together with an ignition grant worth Rs. 2 lakh to Rs. 5 lakh, awarded through the DST-iTBI Incubation Centre at NIT Agartala in Tripura. The goal is to lift a startup's Technology Readiness Level and improve its odds of landing follow-on capital. Applications are accepted between 15 May 2026 and 30 June 2026.

Those selected get the ignition grant on an equity-free basis, between Rs. 2 lakh and Rs. 5 lakh, alongside office space, mentoring, training sessions, and use of the centre's facilities. The incubation itself lasts at least six months, comes with fundraising help and investor introductions via the DST-iTBI centre, and stays available to registered startups for as long as three years.

Eligibility is tight: the venture should be under two years old, must have kept annual turnover below Rs. 25 lakh in each financial year since it was founded, and should have a product that has not moved past the prototype level, all within hardware, deep tech, or other innovation-led areas. Ruled out are pure software builds, e-commerce, app-only and service-only offerings, anything already beyond the prototype level, and bids meant solely for research work or student internships.

Who can apply

• The venture must be under two years old and should not have recorded annual turnover above Rs. 25 lakh in any financial year since it began, and its product should still be at or before the prototype level.
• Focus areas are hardware, deep tech, and other innovation-led fields.
• Pure software projects, e-commerce, app-only, and service-only businesses fall outside the scope.
• Where a founder or co-founder has previously taken a comparable grant, for instance NIDHI PRAYAS or NIDHI SSP, the incubation centre makes the final call.

Benefits & funding

• Funding comes as an equity-free ignition grant ranging from Rs. 2 lakh to Rs. 5 lakh, meant to push the product forward.
• Beyond the cash, incubatees receive a workspace, structured mentoring, hands-on training, and the run of NIT Agartala's facilities, together with fundraising help routed through the DST-iTBI centre; a registered startup can tap these incubation services for as long as three years.
• There are limits on the grant: it cannot pay the founder or their relatives, settle existing loans or commitments, cover rent or the building of movable or fixed assets, bankroll pure research or student internships, or act as a stop-gap for unrelated professional work.

How the application process works

The journey below is informational, compiled from the official program guidelines. Applications are submitted directly with NITA-FIIE, NIT Agartala, in your own name.

1. 1

   Apply through the official form during the 15 May to 30 June 2026 window.

2. 2

   Applications go through primary screening, after which up to 20 startups are admitted to a minimum six-month incubation programme.

3. 3

   After about three months, up to 10 startups receive the ignition grant based on merit and satisfactory progress.

Frequently asked questions