GUSEC:
MSME Idea Hackathon
National flagship innovation drive supporting ground-breaking prototypes with seed grants up to ₹15 Lakhs per idea, host incubator support, and commercialization scaling.
Hackathon Overview
The MSME Idea Hackathon is organized under the MSME Innovative Scheme (Incubation Component) by the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Government of India. It seeks to promote, support, and scale groundbreaking innovations across India.
Students, innovators, research scholars, and registered MSME enterprises submit original technological solutions. Winners receive direct financial seed funding managed through designated Host Institutes (HI) such as IITs, NITs, and premier incubation centers.
Focus Themes & Sectors
Innovators can present proposals addressing key national challenges in these target domains:
AgriTech & Food Tech
Crop diagnostic tools, post-harvest equipment & food processing units.
Clean Energy & EV
Renewable solar storage, EV battery systems & smart grid hardware.
Healthcare & MedTech
Affordable diagnostic devices, tele-health tech & biomedical innovation.
Smart Manufacturing
Industry 4.0 IoT sensors, low-cost automation & machine safety.
Waste to Wealth
Circular economy technologies, recycling machines & bio-materials.
AI, Cyber & IT
Software security, edge computing & machine vision for industry.
Financial Grants & Support Pool
Approved ideas are provided seed support directly managed by designated Host Institutes (HIs):
Idea Grant
Direct financial assistance per approved project for product prototype development, testing, and validation.
Machinery Fund
Host Institutes (HI) receive up to ₹1.00 Crore for capital equipment & plant setup to assist innovators.
Commercial Support
Dedicated patent filing support, technical mentorship, business validation, and industrial networking.
Eligibility Guidelines
- Open to Indian Citizen Innovators, Students, Independent Researchers, and Registered MSMEs.
- Proposals must represent novel technological concepts or significant process improvements.
- Ideas must be submitted through an approved Host Institute (HI) registered under the Ministry of MSME portal.
- Project prototypes must be capable of reaching functional proof-of-concept within 12 months.