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Department of Science and Technology Launches First Open Call
Department of Science and Technology (DST) launches the first Technology Development Board (TDB) open call under the RDI Fund. The call provides for supporting projects at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 4 and above, under the RDI Scheme.
RDI Fund (under RDI Scheme) and TRL Scale:
| Dimension | Key Details |
|---|---|
| Technology Readiness Level | Estimating technology maturity of core technologies until technologies or products utilising them attain market readiness. |
| Origin | Originally introduced by NASA. |
| Structure | Nine TRLs describing maturity from ideation stage (TRL-1) to highest degree of application/commercial readiness (TRL-9). |
| RDI Fund status | Established as a Special Purpose Fund under the RDI Scheme. |
| RDI Scheme positioning | Governed as a flagship initiative under the Department of Science and Technology (DST). |
| RDI Fund objective | Accelerating investment in India’s RDI ecosystem and supporting private sector enterprises, startups, and industries working in sunrise and strategic sectors to transform ideas into globally competitive technologies and products. |
| RDI Fund corpus | Rs. 1 lakh crore over six years. |
| Mode of funding | Loans (long tenure, collateral free) up to 50% of fund requirement; equity participation up to 25% of assistance sought; and debt to equity conversion at a later date. |
| Priority sectors | Applies to Energy Security, Transition and Climate Change; Deep Technology (Quantum, Robotics and Space); Artificial Intelligence for Indian Applications; Biotechnology and Medical Technologies; Digital Economy and Digital Agriculture. |