NIDHI PRAYAS Cycle 4 at TIDES Business Incubator, IIT Roorkee — Frequently Asked Questions

The NIDHI PRAYAS Cycle 4 is a grant program by the Department of Science & Technology (DST), implemented through TIDES Business Incubator at IIT Roorkee. It aims to support idea-stage innovators in developing physical hardware prototypes.

Innovators selected for the NIDHI PRAYAS Cycle 4 program can receive grant funding of up to ₹10 lakhs to support their prototype development efforts.

The application deadline for the NIDHI PRAYAS Cycle 4 program is 2026-03-30.

Eligible applicants must be Indian citizens aged 18 or above. The program is open to individual innovators across India who are working on a physical product concept at the prototype-seeking stage. Purely software-only or service-based ideas are not eligible.

Priority sectors for this cycle include Manufacturing, Agriculture, Healthcare, Clean-tech, Energy, Water, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and the Internet of Things (IoT), among other advanced technology areas. The core requirement is the development of a physical product prototype.

No, the NIDHI PRAYAS program provides grant funding, which means it does not take any equity or ownership stake in the innovator's venture.

The provided information does not state any requirement for DPIIT or MSME registration for individual innovators applying to this program.

Beyond funding, the program offers access to TIDES laboratories and equipment, mentorship from experienced professionals, co-working space at IIT Roorkee, and assistance with business development, intellectual property management, and legal compliance.

You can find information on how to apply and submit your application through the TIDES, IIT Roorkee website at https://tides.iitr.ac.in/programs/nidhi-prayas.

NIDHI PRAYAS Cycle 4 at TIDES Business Incubator, IIT Roorkee is offered by TIDES, IIT Roorkee, an academic institution. It is provided as non-dilutive funding.