IndiaAI Intelligent Document Processing Challenge

• Best suited to DPIIT-recognised AI/ML startups building document-processing engines using OCR and NLP.

About this scheme

Run as a national programme, the IndiaAI Intelligent Document Processing (IDP) Challenge sets out to build a secure, scalable, and accurate AI engine for high-end document processing. The brief is to create systems that combine OCR with natural language processing to pull out, break down, organise, and interpret key details from many kinds of documents, from certificates and affidavits to identity cards, academic transcripts, and records of disciplinary proceedings.

What the brief asks for is an AI capable of coping with poor scan quality, irregular layouts, mixed fonts, and the many languages used across India. The winning builds should return clean structured data, segmentation tagged with metadata, concise summaries, and traceable links from each output back to the original document. Funding works in two tiers: as many as five shortlisted teams are each given Rs. 5 lakh to polish their work, and as many as two of them can go on to secure a countrywide deployment order, running two years and valued at up to Rs. 1 crore. Entries were filed at indiaai.gov.in, and the round shut on 23 December 2025.

Who can apply

• Applicants should be Indian companies incorporated under the Companies Act of 2013, with Indian shareholders holding 51% or more.
• The company needs to be a DPIIT-recognised startup.
• The solution must be the applicant's own AI/ML technology, supported by evidence such as technical specs, intellectual property, certifications, or patents.
• A track record of building and rolling out comparable AI/ML document-processing tools, whether for public or private clients, is required.

Benefits & funding

• Up to five shortlisted teams each receive Rs. 5 lakh to refine their solutions.
• Up to two teams may win a national-scale, two-year deployment work order worth up to Rs. 1 crore.
• Support is equity-free, so participating companies keep full ownership.

How the application process works

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

1. 1

   Apply through the IndiaAI portal at indiaai.gov.in.

2. 2

   Up to five shortlisted teams receive Rs. 5 lakh each to refine their solutions.

3. 3

   Up to two teams are selected for a two-year national deployment work order worth up to Rs. 1 crore.

Frequently asked questions