NIDHI – Centres of Excellence
Up to ₹50 crore over five years for mature incubators to become world-class centres — with facilities for 100 startups and an in-house accelerator.
What you get
Maximum ₹50 crore over 5 years to the incubator
Nodal ministry
Department of Science & Technology (DST)
Support type
Incubation
Best suited for
Growth / Scaling
Typical timeline
Proposals received throughout the year
What this scheme actually is
NIDHI-CoE is the top of the DST incubation pyramid. It takes incubators with at least five years of track record and funds them to build design and prototype development centres, validation labs, patent facilitation centres and TBI facilities for a minimum of 100 startups, plus an accelerator for 10 high-potential ones. For founders, a CoE is simply the best-equipped incubator you can get into.
What the scheme sets out to do
Who can apply
What you get
How to apply, step by step
- 1
For founders: target CoE incubators
A NIDHI-CoE has validation labs, patent facilitation and an in-house accelerator. If one exists in your domain, it is the incubator to get into.
- 2
For institutions: verify the 5-year and 8-year conditions
Five years of incubation experience and an 8-year-old host institution are hard gates.
- 3
Submit at nidhi.dst.gov.in
Proposals are received throughout the year in the format on the portal.
What we actually do on a NIDHI-CoE mandate
Services this usually needs
No consultant can guarantee a sanction — that decision sits with the evaluating committee, bank or incubator. We commit to an honest eligibility view, an application built to the evaluator’s format, filing inside the window and a documented follow-up cadence. That is stated in every engagement letter we sign.