IITI DRISHTI CPS Foundation

Check which call is currently open

DRISHTI CPS runs its grants as dated calls, not an always-open incubator track. Its DISHA rounds, TARANG 1.0 accelerator and Lab to Market programme have all closed their most recent intakes, so check the current programme page on drishticps.org before assuming a call is live. For a shorter, fee-based route, the NIRV 1.0 pre-incubation and pitching programme accepts registrations on a running basis.

How applications work

Each call has its own online application form, hosted on the foundation's Accubate-based application portal (incubator.drishticps.org). TARANG 1.0 asks applicants to first choose a pathway — Challenge-Based Innovation or Technology Commercialization — before applying.

What reviewers look for

• DPIIT recognition, required for most of the startup-facing calls.
• A working technology, not just an idea, for the later-stage calls: DISHA 3.0 asks for a minimum Technology Readiness Level of 3, and TARANG 1.0 is aimed at teams that can validate and commercialise, not first-time ideators.
• Majority Indian ownership. DISHA 3.0 requires at least 51% of shares held by Indian citizens; some earlier calls asked for the same threshold.
• A clear commercialization plan. DISHA 3.0 specifically asks applicants to show a clear commercialization roadmap and, where relevant, to integrate with the foundation's CharakDT platform.
• Willingness to share equity or royalties. Several of the foundation's calls, including the DISHA rounds, ask DPIIT-recognised startups receiving support to agree to an equity transfer or revenue-sharing arrangement with the foundation — read this term carefully before applying.

IITI DRISHTI CPS Foundation is a Section 8 not-for-profit hosted at IIT Indore in Simrol, near Indore, Madhya Pradesh. It was set up as a Technology Innovation Hub under the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS), a Department of Science and Technology mission, with a original mandate on system simulation, modelling and visualisation for cyber-physical systems.

On its own site, DRISHTI CPS now describes a further step: it calls itself a Technology Translation Research Park with a flagship focus on digital healthcare, built around a platform it calls CharakDT, which brings together AI, simulation and healthcare data. Its 2026 site copy leads with digital healthcare, intelligent manufacturing, defence and strategic technologies, smart cities and infrastructure, and smart agriculture as its focus areas.

How programmes work

DRISHTI CPS runs a series of dated funding calls rather than a single open-ended incubation track. Under the DISHA (Developing Innovations for Successful Harnessing and Adoption) series, it has run three rounds — DISHA 1.0 for academic and faculty-led projects, DISHA 2.0 and DISHA 3.0 narrowing in on digital healthcare startups with rising technology-readiness requirements. Alongside DISHA, its TARANG 1.0 programme is a healthcare and deep-tech accelerator with two application paths, a challenge-based innovation route and a technology-commercialisation route, and a Lab to Market programme supports medical device development and validation. All of these calls are currently closed; each ran through its own online application form.

DRISHTI CPS has also delivered several other schemes over the years as an implementing partner or CSR-funded operator, including PRAYAS (a DST prototyping grant), a DST Seed Support Scheme, an internal accelerator called DIAL, MeitY's SAMRIDH 2.0 matching-funding scheme, and CSR-backed programmes with HDFC Bank (Parivartan, for agritech) and Flavorite Technologies (SHAKTI, for women founders). Each names past awardee startups on the site, but none currently shows a live, dated call.

Beyond its grant calls, DRISHTI CPS also runs shorter, fee-based skilling and pre-incubation programmes. NIRV 1.0 is a four-day online pre-incubation and pitching programme for students, researchers, faculty and early-stage founders, open for registration as of this listing.

Who can apply

Eligibility depends on the call. The DISHA rounds are open to academicians, students, faculty-led startups and DPIIT-recognised startups working with academia to commercialise IP; DISHA 3.0 narrows this further to startups at Technology Readiness Level 3 or above, incorporated in India as a private limited company, with at least 51% of shares held by Indian citizens, and asks them to integrate with the CharakDT platform. TARANG 1.0 is open to DPIIT-recognised startups, research teams, spin-offs, MSMEs and early-stage companies working in healthcare or deep tech. Several calls that took grant funding also ask startups to agree to an equity transfer and revenue-sharing arrangement with the foundation.

Scale

DRISHTI CPS's own site reports 51 technologies commercialised, over 6,000 people trained, over 2,000 jobs created, 119+ startups funded, 25 patents, and 4 international collaborations. These are the foundation's own figures as shown on its homepage.

Who runs it

The programme is led by Prof. Anand Iyamperumal Palani as Project Director, with Dr. Hem C. Jha and Dr. Ayan Mondal as Associate Project Directors. Its digital-healthcare initiative, the Charak Center, is led by Dr. Hitendra Kumar as Principal Investigator with Dr. Subhra Mazumdar as Co-Principal Investigator. The foundation runs a sizeable technical, scientific and startup-support team based at IIT Indore.

Locations

DRISHTI CPS operates from the 4th Floor, LRC building, IIT Indore, Khandwa Road, Simrol, Indore, Madhya Pradesh 453552.