TCOE India Prototype, PoC & Pilot Funding — ₹50L Grant — Frequently Asked Questions

A single pilot project can receive up to ₹50,00,000 (Rupees Fifty Lakh only). The money comes as grant-in-aid, so no equity or ownership stake is taken in your company. Support is limited to 80% of the approved eligible expenditure, which means you have to fund at least 20% of the total project cost yourself. Reimbursement covers actual expenditure incurred, not projected costs.

You need to be either a startup recognised by DPIIT or an MSME registered on the Udyam Registration Portal, and in both cases the entity must be Indian-owned and controlled. You also need a working prototype of the solution being proposed, and it should sit at TRL 5 to 8. A clear pilot deployment and testing plan is part of the application too.

The programme is listed as rolling and always open, so there is no single cut-off date to plan around. Applications come in through the TCOE India online portal. Intake arrangements can change, so it is worth confirming the current status with the programme team before you commit time to a full proposal.

Solutions must fall within TRL 5 to TRL 8. That band stretches from a prototype already validated in a relevant environment up to a system that is pilot-ready. Anything outside that range falls outside the scheme's scope, so check where your product sits before applying.

Funds are meant to take your solution into a real network environment. Eligible spending includes deployment and integration in live telecom networks, equipment or software procurement, testing, monitoring and validation, network usage charges, operational costs, and certification. Only actual expenditure counts, so keep records for everything you claim.

Pilots can run in live telecom networks of TSPs, in private or captive networks belonging to industry partners, or in government and institutional test environments. Prior consent from the concerned TSP, industry partner or test-bed authority is required, and your proposal should spell out a clear deployment and testing plan. Attaching a consent letter from an identified industry or TSP partner is preferred.

Expect to provide your DPIIT recognition or Udyam certificate, proof that the company is Indian-owned, details of the working prototype in the form of a video or report, standard company KYC such as incorporation papers, PAN, GST and bank details, plus your latest audited financial statements. A Letter of Consent or Intent from an industry or TSP partner is preferred rather than compulsory. Your proposal itself also needs an itemised budget showing how the costs will be shared.

There are four steps. TCOE India first screens every application for eligibility, document completeness, technical relevance and fit with the programme's objectives. Shortlisted proposals then go to a Review Committee co-chaired by the Bharat 6G Alliance (B6GA) and the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), with members drawn from DoT, TEC, LSA units, TSDSI, TSPs and industry. That committee weighs technical merit, innovation, feasibility, TRL compliance, deployment readiness, strategic relevance, scalability, commercial potential and financial viability. Recommended proposals move to DoT, where an Empowered Committee reviews them before the Competent Authority grants final approval case by case, subject to available funds through the Integrated Finance Division (IFD). If approved, you sign a formal agreement with TCOE India.

Applications are submitted through the TCOE India online portal at https://pilot.tcoe.in/. Start by reading the Prototype, PoC & Pilot Funding Guide and the other programme documents so you know exactly what is expected. Then prepare your pilot project proposal, complete with a detailed deployment and testing plan, an itemised budget showing cost-sharing, and all the required statutory documents, and submit the prescribed online form. The portal will acknowledge your submission, and the programme team gets in touch after evaluation.

Any misrepresentation or misuse of funds leads to recovery of the amount already disbursed along with penal action. On the other side, intellectual property generated during the pilot remains with the applicant.

No. DPIIT (Startup India) recognition is not listed as a mandatory requirement for TCOE India Prototype, PoC & Pilot Funding — ₹50L Grant, though having it can strengthen your application and unlock other benefits.

TCOE India Prototype, PoC & Pilot Funding — ₹50L Grant is offered by Telecom Centres of Excellence India (TCOE India), a government body. It is provided as non-dilutive funding.

Apply directly through the official application link on this page. Review the eligibility criteria and prepare your startup documents before you begin.