NIDHI PRAYAS 2.0
Department of Science and Technology, Government of India
A prototype grant for individual innovators and young startups building a physical product grounded in science or technology. Money comes through PRAYAS Centres, with higher amounts at Advance PRAYAS Centres for deep tech. Selected projects get up to 15 months, plus lab access and mentoring from the centre.
What you can get
Up to ₹20 lakh through a PRAYAS Centre, or up to ₹40 lakh through an Advance PRAYAS Centre
Do you repay it?
No
Type
Grant
Where
All of India
Current status
Guidelines dated March 2026 are live and the innovators page invites applications to any centre. There is no single national deadline, and the NIDHI portal's open calls section showed no post when checked.
Who can apply
- Individual innovator without a startup, or a startup incorporated in India for not more than 5 years
- Startup turnover never above ₹1 crore in any financial year, with at least 51% held by Indian citizens
- Applicant must be 18 or older and own or hold a licence to the underlying IP
- Must be a tangible physical prototype, not past MVP stage
- Not more than ₹40 lakh of government grants received so far
How to apply
- 1Choose a PRAYAS Centre or Advance PRAYAS Centre that fits your stage
- 2Apply to that centre under the PRAYAS 2.0 process
- 3The centre screens the idea and releases the grant in tranches if selected
The catch
The guidelines exclude pure software, e-commerce, service and app-based projects, so most SaaS founders do not qualify. One innovator or startup can use PRAYAS 2.0 only once, and it cannot run alongside NIDHI-EIR.
We read this on the official page on 4 November 2026. Rules and dates change, so confirm there before you apply. Founders Wing is not connected to this scheme, does not help with applications and never charges for access to it.