Pusa Krishi, a special purpose initiative of ICAR-IARI, has announced SHITIJ 2026, a one month virtual startup incubation programme with a thematic focus on plant health and precision agriculture. The programme has been structured to support early stage agri innovators through focused incubation, sector specific mentoring, field level validation, and funding readiness, while bringing together innovators in an immersive digital environment designed for learning, collaboration, and structured engagement.
Programme Structure and Focus Areas
SHITIJ is positioned as a one month virtual incubation programme aimed at early stage agri startups in India that are working on plant protection and precision agriculture solutions. The programme framework integrates expert led online sessions, business and technical mentoring, access to infrastructure and facilities, support for field trials, pilot opportunities, industry connect, market linkages, and facilitation for grants and funding. The focus remains on enabling innovators with prototypes or minimum viable products to refine their offerings and align them with sector needs.
Implementation Timeline and Institutional Framework
The programme will run from February 9 to March 6, 2026. It is being organised by multiple institutes of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, including ICAR-IARI Pusa Krishi, ICAR-IIHR Bengaluru, ICAR-NBAIR, ICAR-IIOR, and ICAR-DOGR, under the National Agricultural Innovation Fund. The incubation is delivered through immersive virtual sessions that focus on refining prototypes or MVPs, validating technologies in consultation with scientists, and enabling linkages with relevant government schemes. Participation in the programme is free of cost, with registrations open from January 5 and closure by January 20.
Eligibility and Application Process
The SHITIJ 2026 is open to Indian citizens who are founders or teams of agri startups working on prototypes or minimum viable products aligned with plant health or precision agriculture themes. Early stage ideas in agriculture and allied sectors are eligible, with emphasis placed on demonstrable intent and alignment with the programme’s thematic areas. Applications can be submitted through official programme portals, as well as through QR codes shared in programme announcements. Applicants are required to provide detailed information on their prototypes and ensure alignment with plant protection, precision tools, or related agricultural challenges.
Launch and Hub-and-Spoke Model
The formal launch of SHITIJ took place at ICAR-Central Rice Research Institute, which is serving as the Hub Institute for the programme. The initiative is being implemented in collaboration with Spoke Institutes including ICAR-IIPR, ICAR-DGR, ICAR-DOGR, ICAR-CPRI, and ICAR-IGFRI. During the launch meeting at ICAR-CRRI, senior scientists, programme coordinators, and incubation stakeholders discussed the roadmap and implementation approach of the programme.
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The discussions at the launch focused on identifying high-potential agri-startups, ensuring scientific validation of innovations, enabling pilot opportunities and market linkages, and facilitating industry engagement and access to funding. The meeting also saw participation from the Spoke Institutes through a hybrid interaction format, reflecting the collaborative structure of the programme.
Sector Specific Expertise and Coverage
Each participating Spoke Institute contributes domain expertise aligned to specific crop systems and value chains. ICAR-IIPR, Kanpur brings experience in pulses research and seed innovation, ICAR-DGR, Junagadh contributes groundnut based technologies, ICAR-DOGR, Pune supports onion and garlic value chains, ICAR-CPRI, Shimla provides expertise in potato research and planting material, and ICAR-IGFRI, Jhansi focuses on forage crops and grassland systems. This structure enables multi crop and multi region support for startups enrolled under SHITIJ.
Incubation Outcomes and Support Framework
Participants selected under the SHITIJ will undergo a structured one month virtual incubation covering business and technical mentoring, access to ICAR infrastructure and facilities, pilot testing opportunities, industry networking, market linkages, and funding facilitation support. The SHITIJ places emphasis on seed and planting material related innovations, recognising their role within the broader agricultural input ecosystem.
Forward Outlook
With ICAR-CRRI functioning as the hub and the spoke institutes contributing specialised inputs, SHITIJ is positioned as a structured incubation platform aimed at supporting early stage agri startups working at the intersection of plant health and precision agriculture. The programme framework is aligned to strengthen linkages between scientific research, entrepreneurial execution, and market readiness within the Indian agri startup landscape.
