NIDHI PRAYAS (Prototype Assistance)

Part of DST's National Initiative for Developing and Harnessing Innovations (NIDHI), providing funds for converting research into working prototypes, hosted at DST-recognized incubators. This scheme's ₹10 lakh figure reflects the original, flat-rate PRAYAS prototype grant model (predating the tiered PRAYAS/Advance PRAYAS structure now used under PRAYAS 2.0), disbursed with zero equity dilution to the applicant. Eligibility centers on having an actual working, lab-scale demonstration rather than a paper concept, which is why the scheme is explicitly positioned for student founders and researchers who already have a functioning model to convert into a market-ready prototype. Because hosting is restricted to DST-recognized incubators, an applicant's practical first step is confirming that their institution or nearest incubator is on DST's recognized list before submitting.