Investment Promotion Scheme (IPS): Exhibition Abroad Subsidy up to ₹2L

The Investment Promotion Scheme (IPS) is the incentive framework that the Department of Industries, under the UT Administration of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, uses to grow the MSME base in the Union Territory. First rolled out in 2015, its present edition runs from 20 May 2022 to 19 May 2027.

Within that framework sits this window: Assistance for Participation in Industrial Exhibitions Abroad. It exists to put products and services from the UT in front of overseas buyers. Rather than asking a small unit to absorb the entire cost of a stall at a foreign trade fair, the department picks up half of the space rent, subject to a ceiling of ₹2,00,000.

Think of it as a market-entry tool as much as a cash benefit. An MSME that takes a stall abroad gets face time with international distributors and customers, reads demand in a new geography and widens its order book — exposure that is otherwise hard to fund for a small manufacturer or service provider.

The wider IPS programme also carries social and employment objectives: shielding MSMEs from sharp market swings, pulling more women into business ownership, and encouraging industries in the UT to hire workers who live there. This exhibition window is one of the components through which those goals are delivered.

It is a subsidy, not a loan or an equity deal — the department takes no stake in the business, and applications are accepted on a rolling basis rather than against a single annual cut-off.

• 50% space rent subsidy, capped at ₹2,00,000
• Applies to industrial exhibitions held in foreign countries
• Open to new and expanding/diversifying MSME manufacturing and service units
• Unit must be located in Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu
• Commercial production must have begun between 20 May 2022 and 19 May 2027
• Claims are due within 3 months of the exhibition's completion

Who can apply

• New manufacturing or service units in the MSME sector.
• Existing manufacturing or service units that are going in for expansion or diversification.
• Units whose commercial production began between 20 May 2022 and 19 May 2027.
• Units physically located inside the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.

In short, eligibility turns on three things: the type of unit you run, where it sits, and when it started commercial production. There is also a timing condition attached to the claim itself — the application must reach the department within three months of the date on which the industrial exhibition concluded.

A unit based outside the Union Territory cannot use this window, even if it is otherwise a registered MSME.

Investment Promotion Scheme (IPS): Exhibition Abroad Subsidy up to ₹2L is open to startups at any stage. It is open to startups registered anywhere in India.

Investment Promotion Scheme (IPS): Exhibition Abroad Subsidy up to ₹2L accepts applications on a rolling basis — there is no fixed cut-off date, so eligible startups can apply at any time. Because rolling programmes can pause without notice, confirm the window is still open on the official site before you start.

The entitlement is straightforward: 50% of the space rent your unit pays for a stall at an industrial exhibition held in a foreign country, capped at ₹2,00,000.

• The base for the calculation is the rent actually paid for exhibition space, so the payout rises and falls with your actual spend until it hits the ceiling.
• The subsidy is released only after the department validates the claim and the eligibility conditions behind it.
• Beyond the money, the scheme delivers international market access: a local MSME can showcase what it makes or sells on an overseas stage, meet foreign buyers and distributors, broaden its customer base and pick up first-hand exposure to global markets.
• That combination — a meaningful dent in the cost of exhibiting plus a genuine route to new geographies — is what the scheme is designed to deliver for enterprises in Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.

Investment Promotion Scheme (IPS): Exhibition Abroad Subsidy up to ₹2L is offered by Department of Industries, UT Administration of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, a government body. As a government-backed subsidy, it is publicly funded and open to eligible startups across India.

Applications are filed online and assessed by the Department of Industries, which is the deciding authority.

• The department screens every application it receives through the portal.
• It then verifies the eligibility conditions: whether the unit is a new manufacturing or service MSME, or an existing one expanding or diversifying; whether commercial production began inside the 20 May 2022 to 19 May 2027 window; whether the unit is physically based in the Union Territory; and whether the claim was submitted within three months of the exhibition's completion.
• Once those details are validated, the subsidy is computed on the space rent actually paid, and the amount is processed up to the scheme's stipulated maximum.

Before you apply to Investment Promotion Scheme (IPS): Exhibition Abroad Subsidy up to ₹2L, keep the following documents ready:

• A pitch deck or short business plan describing the problem, product and traction
• Company registration documents and PAN
• Founder identification (PAN / Aadhaar) and brief profiles
• Recent financial statements or projections
• Product details — a demo, prototype or working link if available

Exact requirements are confirmed on the official application portal — treat this as a preparation checklist.

Investment Promotion Scheme (IPS): Exhibition Abroad Subsidy up to ₹2L is best suited for startups in India seeking non-dilutive funding of ₹2L. If that describes your startup, review the eligibility criteria above before applying.