Grant-in-aid
Dedicated funding for developing full-scale prototypes/technology
Bharat Win (Bhartwin) - Open Call & Water Innovation
★ OPEN CALL
Open Call for Startups & MSMEs – Submit your proposal now
About
Bharat Water Innovation Network (Bharat WIN) is a national initiative of the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India , aimed at driving meaningful and technology-led transformation in India's water sector. The mission is to accelerate innovation by connecting scientific research, entrepreneurship, and grassroots initiatives to ensure accessibility, affordability, and sustainability. The initiative strengthens the research and innovation ecosystem by providing both institutional and financial support, encouraging development of technologies that can be tested, scaled, and deployed in real-world settings to solve critical water challenges.
To nurture innovation, DoWR, RD & GR, MoJS, will organize Jal Shakti Hackathons under Bharat WIN Initiative and invite calls for proposals that inspire creative solutions in priority areas such as water resource management, wastewater treatment, water-use efficiency, climate resilience, flood management, smart monitoring systems, precision agriculture, and urban hydrology. The National Institute of Hydrology (NIH), Roorkee, has been designated as Project Implementation Agency (PIA) for this initiative. A total of 19 winning teams from the hackathon have been awarded ₹1 lakh each for the development of Proofs of Concept (PoCs). The submitted PoCs will be evaluated further, and selected proposals may be considered for Grant-in-Aid support under the Bharat WIN Initiative.
To foster innovation and transform ideas into scalable solutions, DoWR, RD & GR launched the “Open Call for Startups and MSMEs” on 01st June 2026. Startups and MSMEs are invited to submit proposals on predefined Ideas, Problem Statements, Focus Areas or otherwise. Selected high-impact proposals will receive Grant-in-Aid from DoWR, RD & GR for developing innovative solutions in the water sector.
Highlights
Turn breakthrough ideas into impact with funding.
Gain Visibility
Showcase your solutions to policy makers.
Focus Areas
Focus areas for submission of proposals.
Water Resources Assessment and Management
Wastewater Treatment
Climate Resilience and Adaptation
Water Use Efficiency and Circular Economy
Smart Water Grids, Internet of Things, and data-driven water (surface and ground) management approaches
Efficient Irrigation, Precision Agriculture and Rainwater Harvesting
River Basin & Flood Management, Glacial Lake Outburst Floods
Hydrological modelling inclusive of Urban Hydrology
Quality of Water and related issues
Problem Statements
P01: Development of an application for on-the-spot assessment of Rooftop Rainwater Harvesting potential and system design.
Development of an application for estimation of rooftop runoff yield and storage requirements. The system shall generate harvesting potential and site-specific design parameters considering rainfall statistics, sub surface details, groundwater table, roof area, and demand.
P02: Development of a small-scale cost-effective and sustainable plastic waste disposal system.
Development of a decentralized, low-cost system for segregation, volume reduction, and environmentally compliant processing of plastic waste. The solution shall emphasize energy efficiency, minimal secondary emissions, and operational scalability. These systems are useful to minimise soil and water contamination.
P03: Smart river water level and quality surveillance system with UAVs.
Development of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) enabled monitoring framework for acquisition of river stage and in-situ water quality parameters through image processing. The system shall integrate onboard sensors, real-time telemetry, and processing modules to derive the river water level and quality parameters.
P04: Development of a floating sensor-based system for automated recording of river water levels and quality, and its transmission.
Design of a floating sensor for continuous measurement of river water levels and physicochemical parameters. The system shall enable wireless transmission/telemetry/IoT, and centralized data management.
P05: Development of a decentralized wastewater treatment system for safe disposal and reuse.
Development of decentralized wastewater treatment system is for safe disposal of grey and black water. The system shall ensure compliance with the Government of India guidelines and standards. These systems reduce significant pollution load on rivers, water bodies and groundwater.
P06: Development of a portable device for the detection of chemical and bacteriological water quality parameters.
Development of a portable device for rapid detection of key chemical and bacteriological water quality parameters. The device shall support sensor-based techniques with on-site data processing.
P07: Development of an early warning system for Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) and urban flooding.
Development of an integrated early warning system combining remote sensing, hydrodynamic modelling, IoT and real-time data. The system shall enable predictive risk assessment, alerts/warnings, and decision support.
P08: Development of a system for assessing Water Use Efficiency (WUE) for irrigation systems, individual houses, apartments, gated communities, and industries.
Development of a system for assessment of water use efficiency across irrigation, residential, and industrial sectors. The system shall integrate metering data/releases/supply, usage, and performance indicators to suggest optimized water management.
P09: Development of advanced tools and techniques for the management of water resources and safe drinking water.
Development of advanced tools/techniques and decision-support systems for water resources management and ensuring safe drinking water. The system shall leverage modelling, IoT, AI and real-time data for generating best management scenarios.
P10: Development of Energy Efficient Sludge Drying and Thickening System.
The drying of sludge and removal of moisture consumes substantial amount of power and energy. The energy efficiency can be enhanced through aeration, improving dewatering and advanced process control (SCADA etc.), improving energy recovery through biogas etc. An optimal mix of abovementioned factors with system design may be presented as a solution to the improved energy efficient system.
P11: Development of a Solution for Characterization of Sludge.
Characterization of sludge is very important for deciding upon its end use. System is to be developed for complete characterization of sludge instantaneously and bringing out different metals present in it, it can help in deciding the final use of sludge. In case complete characterization is difficult, the presence of heavy metal may be brought out by the system.
P12: Development of Process for FCO Compliant Soil Conditioner from Sludge.
The use of sludge as a soil conditioner to enrich the soil nutrients and help in improving the productivity is an aspirational goal. An efficient cost effective process/technology may be developed for producing FCO compliant sludge.
Guidelines for Proposal Submission in Open Call
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1
Proposals should be submitted via portal on or before 31 July 2026.
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2
Proposals should be innovative & relevant to the Open Call Ideas/Focus Areas/Problem Statements.
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3
Only proposals submitted in the prescribed format will be considered.
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4
The proposal should clearly mention deliverables/outcome in the form of prototypes, scalable models and deployable field-ready solutions.
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5
Only Start-ups and MSMEs are eligible to submit proposal.
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6
Selected proposals will be called for presentation.
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7
Selected Open Call proposals will receive Grant-in-Aid support.
Who Can Apply / Eligibility Criteria
Registered Startups and MSMEs are eligible to submit proposals under the Open Call.
Funding
Project Grants
Grant-in-aid for eligible proposals based on impact potential.
Event Timeline
Open Call Announcement
Official announcement of the open call for startups & MSMEs.
01
June 2026
01
June 2026 to 31 July 2026
Submission of proposals
FAQ
Who can apply?
Only Start-ups and Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) are eligible to apply under this Open Call for
Proof of Concept (PoC) proposals.
What is the language of proposal?
The proposal should be in English, only.
What is the submission deadline?
Submit proposals by 31 July 2026, 23:59 IST. After the deadline, submissions are closed.
What details need to be filled during proposal submission?
Applicants are required to provide organization details, team information, project objectives, methodology,
expected outcomes, implementation plan, budget estimates, and supporting documents as specified in the
proposal format.
Do I need to upload any file during proposal submission?
Yes. Applicants are required to submit the completed proposal along with supporting documents such as
registration certificates, endorsement letter, as applicable through portal.
Can I edit submitted final proposal?
No. Once a proposal has been submitted, applicants cannot modify or resubmit it. Applicants are advised to
carefully review all information and documents before submission.
What are the documents/proofs required to apply?
Applicants must submit the completed proposal along with supporting documents such as Start-up/MSME
registration certificate, endorsement letter, as specified in the
proposal format.
What should the proposal include?
The proposal should include project objectives, methodology, expected outcomes, technology readiness level
(TRL), implementation plan, budget estimates, milestones, and all supporting documents as specified in the
proposal format.
Is funding available?
Yes. Eligible projects will be reviewed for grant-in-aid for developing prototype/technology.
Need help?
Use the Contact section below to reach out to us.
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Is there any team size,gender or role restrictions?
The size of the participation team is not subject to any specific stipulation. There are no restrictions
imposed on team size, gender composition, role, or designations.
What is Hackathon?
A hackathon is an event where individuals or teams collaborate to solve a problem, develop ideas,
or build a prototype. The Jal Shakti Hackathon will emphasize on developing prototype/technology
to solve water related issues.
What is Proof-of-Concept (PoC)?
Proof of Concept (PoC) demonstrates the scientific or technical
feasibility of a core idea or function.
In the Jal Shakti Hackathon, the
PoC at Technology Readiness Level 3 (TRL-3)
is expected. PoC at TRL-3 signifies the
Experimental Proof of Concept ,
where basic principles are demonstrated often through lab-level testing, to show how a core technology or
function works, focusing on feasibility and identifying key parameters, not building a full system.
It's early, fundamental stage of proving an idea can work,
typically involving small-scale experiments to validate the core concept.
Contact Us
For queries related to Bharat WIN, please reach out to:
Hackathon Secretariat, National Institute of Hydrology
Jal Vigyan Bhawan, Roorkee, District Haridwar, Uttarakhand - 247667, India.
Phone: +91-1332-249410
Fax: +91-1332-272123
Email: hackathon.nihr@gov.in