Next Generation Incubation Scheme (NGIS)

NGIS — Software-Product Incubation

Funds Indian software-product teams through NGIS incubation routes and early-stage financial support.

The Next Generation Incubation Scheme (NGIS) is a MeitY program under the National Policy on Software Products (NPSP) 2019 designed to support Indian software-product startups, including ventures in gaming and animation, through structured incubation and seed funding. The scheme is operationalised primarily through the Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) network via Open Challenge Programs (OCP) branded under the STPI OctaNE initiative. Each OCP cohort targets a specific product category or geographic cluster — examples include OCP 9.0 cycles for gaming and entertainment at Aizawl and animation at STPI Shillong — and provides seed funding of up to INR 25 lakh per selected startup alongside incubation infrastructure and mentorship.

Eligible applicants are Indian software-product startups incorporated as private limited companies, registered partnership firms, or limited liability partnerships. Unregistered startups and individual applicants may also apply, subject to completing formal company registration within three months of selection. The date of incorporation must not exceed ten years at the time of application. Indian citizenship is required; OCI and PIO holders are excluded. The program targets product-oriented ventures rather than services businesses.

NGIS operates on a continuous window basis at the scheme level, but individual STPI OctaNE OCP cohorts are time-bound calls published on the STPI portal and NGIS/MSH pages. Founders should track open OCP cohorts matching their product domain and geography, as calls are issued at intervals rather than on a fixed annual schedule. The program's equity-free structure — seed funding with no equity stake required — is a notable differentiator within the Indian government startup support landscape.