Overview
- The Technology Development Board’s investment committee picked 22 projects that total ₹4,744 crore in R&D and will receive ₹2,192 crore of support from the RDI Fund.
- Fourteen of the selected entities are startups and 13 projects target deep‑tech areas such as reusable launch vehicles, earth‑observation satellites, quantum‑secure communication, Indian chip design, drones, robotics and next‑generation batteries.
- Financing is being offered on concessional terms of roughly 3–4% interest for up to 15 years with no collateral or personal guarantees, and proposals are to be evaluated in eight weeks with funds disbursed in about 12 weeks.
- The programme is being run through a Special Purpose Fund inside the Anusandhan National Research Foundation that channels capital to Second‑Level Fund Managers such as TDB and BIRAC, and awardees are spread across Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Thane, Noida and Pune.
- Officials say the launch aims to close India’s private R&D funding gap by supplying patient capital to founders, but the TDB has also paused new invitations for the scheme after reports about funding flows and governance questions, a development to watch for its effect on future rounds.