NIDHI–PRAYAS 2.0 is an initiative of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, under the National Initiative for Developing and Harnessing Innovations (NIDHI). The programme aims to support innovators and startups in transforming innovative ideas into functional prototypes through financial assistance, mentorship, infrastructure access, and technical guidance.
The programme bridges the critical gap between idea and commercialization by enabling innovators to build, test, validate, and refine prototypes. NIDHI–PRAYAS 2.0 aligns with the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat and Viksit Bharat @2047 by promoting indigenous innovation, deep-tech development, and startup growth.
Objectives
- To provide a platform for rapid experimentation and iterative development to refine ideas in the journey from concept to market.
- To enable and facilitate the development of indigenous solutions addressing both local and global challenges.
- To encourage young innovators with a problem-solving mindset to pursue technology- driven and knowledge-based startups.
- To strengthen the pipeline of high-quality, innovative startups, to demonstrate their ideas in real-time environment and prototypes in operational environment.
- To build a dynamic innovation ecosystem by establishing a strong network of innovators, academia, mentors, and incubators.
- To serve as a catalyst for addressing problem statements identified by various government ministries through technological interventions
Key Features
PRAYAS Centres (PCs)
Support technology-based innovations with prototype funding of up to ₹20 Lakhs per innovator/startup.
Advance PRAYAS Centres (APCs)
Specialized centres supporting DeepTech innovations and advanced prototypes with funding support of up to ₹40 Lakhs per innovator/startup.
DST NIDHI Maker Bhavan
Dedicated fabrication and prototyping facilities established within PCs/APCs to provide innovators access to advanced infrastructure, technical tools, mentorship, and collaborative workspaces.
Support for PRAYASEEs
Selected innovators and startups (“PRAYASEEs”) receive:
- Prototype funding support
- Access to fabrication labs and infrastructure
- Technical and business mentorship
- IP and legal assistance
- Industry and investor connect opportunities
Programme Management
The programme is implemented by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, with the Society for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (SINE), IIT Bombay serving as the Program Management Unit (PMU).
Useful Links
NIDHI PRAYAS Website: NIDHI-PRAYAS Website.
PRAYAS 2.0 Program Guidelines: Click Here
List of NIDHI PRAYAS 1.0 Centres: Click Here
Contact Information: For more information, please write us an email on pramod.snkr[at]gov.in
NIDHI PRAYAS PMU
Society for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (SINE), IIT Bombay
Email: nidhiprayas@sineiitb.org
Contact No: 022-25767016 Extension: 520 / 519
Website: https://nidhi-prayas.org