Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR) Program at IITM Pravartak

• A stipend of Rs. 35,000 a month for up to 12 months (up to Rs. 4.2 lakh in all).
• A pre-incorporation grant, with no company needed to apply.
• Lab access at IITM Pravartak, IIT Madras Research Park.
• A direct route into PRAYAS or the Seed Support System after the prototype.
• Preference for hackathon and grand challenge winners.

About this scheme

The Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR) Programme at IITM Pravartak is a pre-incorporation grant for Indian innovators in cyber-physical systems (CPS). It is run by IITM Pravartak Technologies Foundation, the Technology Innovation Hub of IIT Madras under the NMICPS mission, with its base at the IIT Madras Research Park in Taramani, Chennai.

Who it is for:
The programme deliberately addresses the stage before a company exists. Pravartak picks a single innovator holding a CPS idea, gives them runway and infrastructure to turn it into a working prototype or pilot, and later channels them into its own incubation pipeline (PRAYAS and the Seed Support System) for funding once the company is set up.

What is on offer:
A selected EIR draws a grant that can reach Rs. 35,000 each month across 12 months, cumulatively as much as Rs. 4.2 lakh, alongside technical mentoring and time in Pravartak's labs at the Research Park. The role lasts no longer than a year.

Focus areas:
Only proposals in sensors, networking, actuators, or control systems are entertained, since these underpin any cyber-physical system. Neighbouring CPS work, IoT, robotics, industrial automation, embedded systems, and edge AI, sits inside the same remit.

Patents and IP, read this with care:
Whatever patents and technology ideas come out of the EIR period belong jointly to the inventor and IITM Pravartak, which also picks up the filing bill. When the EIR goes on to start a company, the IP is licensed back to it under a royalty clause, and an exclusive licence can be agreed on terms fixed at filing. This is worth weighing, as it parts ways with the usual "your IP, your company" model.

Stepping into the incubation pipeline:
With a prototype in hand, an EIR can move up into the PRAYAS or Seed Support System (SSS) tracks for more funding, so the EIR year becomes the runway to a Pravartak-incubated startup.

Who can apply

• The applicant must be an Indian citizen.
• They should have an inventive cyber-physical-systems idea, across sensors, networking, actuators, or control systems, that could scale to a prototype and then a market product.
• The programme is for the pre-incorporation stage, that is, individuals before they set up a company.
• Winners of hackathons or grand challenge competitions are given preference.
• The applicant should be ready to base themselves at, or work closely with, IITM Pravartak at the IIT Madras Research Park during the year.

Eligible entity types: Individual Innovator

Benefits & funding

• A grant of up to Rs. 35,000 a month for 12 months (cumulatively up to Rs. 4.2 lakh).
• Technical mentoring from the IIT Madras and IITM Pravartak network, plus use of Pravartak's lab facilities at the IIT Madras Research Park.
• A graduation path into Pravartak's PRAYAS and Seed Support System (SSS) tracks for funding after incorporation.

How the application process works

The journey below is informational, compiled from the official program guidelines. Applications are submitted directly with IITM Pravartak Technologies Foundation, in your own name.

1. 1

   Candidates send a written proposal in Pravartak's set format, covering the objective, milestones, and spending plan. The Technical Review Committee screens entries, and those shortlisted present to the Technical Evaluation Committee, which weighs the idea's innovation and market potential before the EIR position is offered.

2. 2

   After onboarding, the technical review committee runs periodic milestone reviews, and continued funding depends on visible progress.

Documents checklist 5

• EIR proposal (objective, milestones, spending plan)
• Proof of Indian citizenship or ID (Aadhaar, PAN, or passport)
• Proof of highest educational qualification
• Proof of hackathon or grand challenge win (if relevant, for preference)
• Candidate CV or resume

Need help getting these in order? IncorpX provides assistance for incorporation, DPIIT recognition, MSME and GST registrations along with document preparation.

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