India’s ICTE hardware manufacturing sector has immense potential driven by the
explosive growth in electronics and IT consumption. Having identified these as thrust
areas, Government of India has undertaken various initiatives, with R&D promotion
being one of them. Various departments of the Government have been individually
pioneering initiatives aimed at improving indigenous manufacturing through promotion
of R&D. Department of Information Technology (DIT), being the nodal Government
body for the ICTE sector, has been initiating programs aimed at improving the R&D
ecosystem and fostering innovation in the country. It has recently initiated a scheme
called the “Multiplier Grants Scheme” (MGS) with the aim to encourage collaborative
R&D between industry and academic/R&D institutions for development of products and
packages.

The objectives of the scheme are:

i. Establish, nurture and strengthen the linkages between the Industry and Institutes;
ii. To promote industry oriented R&D at institutes;
iii. Encourage and accelerate development of indigenous products and packages; and
iv. Bridge the gap between R&D / Proof-of-concept and commercialization / globalization.

The broad eligibility criteria for consideration under the scheme are:

i. The proposal for supporting innovation at the institute should originate from industry (or industry consortium), and be submitted jointly with the institute. The industry consortium would consist of a minimum of 3 industry members;
ii. The proposal should be for innovation in modules/ products/ packages/services in the area of E⁢
iii. The proposal should be in the core area of business of the industry;
iv. The identified institute/ Project investigator should have the requisite expertise and track record in the proposed area;