The Pusa Krishi Incubation Program 2026, featuring the UPJA 2026 seed grant, is India’s premier initiative designed to empower early-stage agritech ventures. Organized by Pusa Krishi, ICAR-IARI, this program serves as a critical bridge for innovators to transform their concepts into scalable, market-ready businesses.

What This Grant Offers

This program provides comprehensive support to bridge the gap from “Lab to Market” through a blend of financial aid and capacity building. Key benefits include:

• Seed Grant-in-Aid: Up to ₹25,00,000 for startups with a registered entity and market-ready product.

• Pre-seed Support: Up to ₹5,00,000 for startups at the idea or prototype stage.

• Student Support: Up to ₹4,00,000 for students with entrepreneurial aspirations.

• Mentorship & Training: 1 month of rigorous business and technical mentoring from industry leaders.

• Ecosystem Access: Technology validation, pilot opportunities, market linkages, and access to world-class infrastructure at the IARI campus.

Purpose and Impact

The initiative focuses on fostering innovation across the agricultural value chain, including farm mechanization, precision agriculture, and supply chain logistics. By providing non-dilutive funding and expert guidance, the program minimizes entry barriers for innovators. Participants benefit from technical backstopping and IP guidance, ensuring their solutions are feasible, viable, and primed for commercial success. This structured approach directly contributes to strengthening India’s agricultural landscape by scaling impactful solutions.