About

The 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 organise 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. Support includes proof-of-concept grants of up to ₹1 lakh for hackathon winners and project funding between ₹20 lakh and ₹2 crore for eligible proposals. For projects beyond TRL-3, MSMEs and startups are expected to contribute a minimum co-investment of 10%.

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

Guidelines for Proposal Submission

  • 1

    Organizations must submit proposals using the prescribed template on the submission page, clearly mentioning the problem statement.

  • 2

    Shortlisted authors will be invited to submit a detailed proposal following the initial screening.

  • 3

    Selected proposals will be invited for an online presentation during the Hackathon.

  • 4

    Winners will receive Rs. 1 Lakh for submitting a comprehensive Proof-of-Concept (PoC).

  • 5

    Rewarded proposals will be evaluated for a grant-in-aid of Rs. 20 Lakhs to Rs. 2 Crores for developing full-scale prototypes/technology within 1–2 years.

  • 6

    Individuals or organizations may submit multiple proposals.

  • 7

    Individual winners must establish a company/start-up before submitting their detailed PoC.

  • 8

    Evaluation will consider technical execution, scalability, market readiness, societal impact, and novelty.

Who Can Apply / Eligibility Criteria

The following entities are eligible to apply to get support from the Bharat WIN.

Startups & MSMEs
Startups, MSMEs, and others as defined and recognised by any other Ministry in the Government of India.
R&D Institutions, Universities & Innovators
Laboratories, R&D institutions, universities and colleges, innovators, Engineers, including rural youth and entrepreneurs with indigenous or practical solutions.
Domestic & Global Institutions
Domestic and International institutes and organisations, government R&D laboratories, institutes of national importance, Academia, Incubators, and Industry.
Global Institutions can join through Centres of Excellence or otherwise and can conduct international research jointly or otherwise.
Consortia
Consortia, registered societies, and academia can participate.
Students from global institutions
Students in/ from global institutions on a pro bono basis.

Funding

Hackathon Winners A reward of Rs. 1 lakh would be provided to the hackathon winners for developing detailed Proof-of-Concept (PoC) proposals.
Project Grants Grant-in-aid for startups, MSMEs, and other eligible projects typically ranging from Rs. 20 lakhs to Rs. 2 crores based on impact potential.

Timeline

Key activities and timeline

Opening of Hackathon Portal
08 December 2025

Launch of the online portal for information, registrations, and submissions of proposals. Release of detailed focus areas and technical guidelines.

Submission of proposals
08 December – 28 December 2025

Window for innovators to submit proposals in the identified focus areas.

Results of Selected Proposals
01 January 2026

Result declaration with the list of finalized proposal to be called for detailed proposals for Hackathon

Hackathon
08-09 January 2026

Presentation of the selected proposal at Hackathon

Contact Us

For queries related to Bharat WIN, please reach out to:

Director, National Institute of Hydrology

Jal Vigyan Bhawan, Roorkee, District Haridwar, Uttarakhand - 247667, India.

Phone: +91-1332-272106, 249201

Fax: +91-1332-272123

Email: dir.nihr@gov.in