Corporate Innovation Programs

About FITT

The Foundation for Innovation and Technology Transfer (FITT) was established in 1992 as a Registered Society by the Board of Governors of IIT Delhi, and is recognised by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR) as a Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (SIRO). FITT is IIT Delhi’s industry–academia interface — the organisation that structures how corporate and CSR partners engage with the Institute’s faculty research, technology pipeline, and startup ecosystem.

What FITT does

• Technology transfer and IP licensing from IIT Delhi’s research labs into industry.
• Sponsored and collaborative Technology Development Programs between corporate teams and IIT Delhi faculty.
• Startup incubation and acceleration through IIT Delhi’s innovation ecosystem.
• Design and execution of corporate innovation programs, funded through CSR or business budgets.
• Capacity-building programs for industry, MSMEs, and workforce audiences.
• Consulting and testing services drawing on the Institute’s research infrastructure.

Much of this activity is anchored at the IIT Delhi Research & Innovation Park, a managed facility where corporates, startups, and Institute researchers co-locate for applied product and technology development. For a corporate partner, this means an ongoing physical point of engagement with the ecosystem rather than a one-off project.

One ecosystem, two ways to fund it

Every program described here can be structured either as a CSR-funded initiative or as a direct investment by the business. The technology, faculty, and delivery model stay the same — what changes is the outcome you are funding for.

Three flagship program formats

These are FITT’s three most-used structures for corporate innovation engagement. Each can run as a standalone program or be combined into a multi-year partnership.

1. Startup Acceleration Programs

Cohort-based acceleration for deep-tech startups building solutions mapped to specific SDG goals — climate action, healthcare, agriculture, water, and livelihoods — using frontier technology for social good.

Typical duration: 4–6 month cohorts, run annually or twice a year. Cohort size: 8–15 startups, sourced through an open call plus IIT Delhi’s incubation pipeline.

• Startups sourced and shortlisted from IIT Delhi’s incubation network and a pan-India outreach call.
• Structured mentorship from IIT Delhi faculty and sector experts across the cohort.
• Milestone-linked support tied to product, pilot, and traction goals.
• Curriculum covering venture-building, IP protection, and scale-up strategy alongside mentorship.
• Cohort demo day and showcase to corporate and investor audiences.
• Post-program tracking of startup metrics, fed back into the partner’s own reporting cycle.

2. Technology Pilot Deployment Programs (Tier 2/3 cities)

Deploying specific technologies developed at IIT Delhi as live pilots in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities to address a defined community or sector issue — with impact from technology as the explicit goal.

Typical duration: 6–12 month pilot phase, with monitoring and evaluation checkpoints built into the plan from the outset.

• Technology shortlisted from IIT Delhi’s research labs against the issue being addressed.
• Typical domains: decentralised clean energy, precision agriculture, water and sanitation, healthcare diagnostics, affordable housing, and assistive devices.
• Site and community or implementation partner identified on the ground.
• Cities and geographies selected to align with the partner’s CSR footprint or operational presence.
• Pilot deployed with monitoring and evaluation built in from day one.
• Findings documented into a scale-up plan, or handed over to a local government, NGO, or enterprise partner for continuity.

3. Sector-Specific Corporate Innovation Challenges

Problem-statement-based hackathons where IIT Delhi faculty and FITT-incubated startups compete to solve a corporate partner’s own internal operational or technical challenges.

Format options: a focused 48–72 hour hackathon for well-scoped problems, or a 6–8 week sprint for more complex ones. Can also run as an annual, branded innovation challenge for the sector.

• Corporate partner defines two to four real, internal problem statements.
• Open call to relevant faculty labs and startups to apply.
• Draws on faculty across engineering, computer science, design, and management, matched to the problem.
• Structured hackathon or sprint with mentoring and milestone checkpoints.
• Confidentiality and IP terms for internal problem statements agreed upfront through an NDA.
• Jury evaluation, followed by a proof-of-concept or pilot with the winning team(s).
• Optional licensing or co-development agreement for the resulting IP.

Other engagement models

Beyond the three flagship formats, FITT structures the following models depending on the depth and duration of partnership a company is looking for.

Let’s collaborate

1. 1
   Scoping conversation

   Define whether the program is CSR-funded or corporate-funded, and the outcome it needs to deliver.
2. 2
   Program design & agreement

   FITT structures the specific format — accelerator, pilot, challenge, or another engagement model — and formalises it through an MoU.
3. 3
   Execution

   Delivered through IIT Delhi faculty, labs, and FITT’s startup ecosystem, with FITT managing day-to-day program operations.
4. 4
   Reporting & next steps

   Outcome documentation — an impact report or a business case — plus a recommendation on renewing, scaling, or expanding the partnership.

Existing corporate innovation partners

Get in touch

Program contact: Dr Nikhil Agarwal, Managing Director, FITT — mdfitt@fitt.iitd.ac.in