Programmes – DST – NIDHI TBI

National Initiative for Developing and Harnessing Innovations (NIDHI) is an umbrella program conceived and developed by the Innovation & Entrepreneurship division, Department of Science & Technology, Government of India, for nurturing ideas and innovations (knowledge-based and technology-driven) into successful startups. The program would work in line with the national priorities and goals and its focus would be to build an innovation-driven entrepreneurial ecosystem with an objective of socio-economic development through wealth and job creation.

NIDHI aims to nurture start-ups through scouting, supporting, and scaling of innovations. The key stakeholders of NIDHI include various departments and ministries of the central government, state governments, academic, and R & D institutions, mentors, financial institutions, angel investors, venture capitalists, and private sectors.

Business incubation has been globally recognized as an important tool for job creation and economic development. Innovation and Entrepreneurship Division of the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India is supporting Technology Business Incubators primarily in and around academic, technical, and management institutions to tap innovations and technologies for venture creation by utilizing expertise and infrastructure already available with the host institution. Recently non-academic institutions have shown interest in setting up NIDHI-TBIs. Technology-based new enterprises are high risk and high growth ventures, and require an enabling environment like NIDHI-TBI to enhance the prospects of their success. There are different variants of incubators like – Technology Business Incubators (NIDHI-TBIs); Innovation Hubs; Centers for Innovation & Entrepreneurship; Virtual Incubators and Seed Accelerators.

Objectives of NIDBI-TBI

• To create jobs, wealth, and businesses aligning with national priorities.
• To promote new technology/knowledge/innovation-based startups.
• To provide a platform for speedy commercialization of technologies developed by the host institution or by any academic/technical/R&D institution or by an individual.
• To build a vibrant startup ecosystem, by establishing a network between academia, financial institutions, industries, and other institutions.
• To provide cost-effective, value-added services to startups like mentoring, legal, financial, technical, intellectual property related services.