- Why in news
- On 24 August 2026 MeitY announced the launch of GENESIS EIR Cohort-3 by MeitY Startup Hub, launched on 4 August 2026 at Coimbatore. Applications are open until 3 September 2026.
- What it is
- GENESIS (Gen-Next Support for Innovative Startups) is a MeitY Startup Hub scheme to find and support startups in Tier-II and Tier-III cities. It has Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Pilot, Investment and DeepTech funding components, covering the path from ideation to scale. The EIR component funds early-stage innovators to turn ideas into pilot-ready solutions.
- Scheme outlay
- GENESIS has a total budget outlay of ₹490 crore.
- Components
- GENESIS has four components: Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Pilot, Investment and DeepTech funding.
- EIR support
- The EIR component gives up to ₹10 lakh per startup at the ideation/prototype stage.
- Eligibility: stage
- The innovation must be at Technology Readiness Level 1–4.
- Eligibility: location and age
- The startup must be based in a Tier-II or Tier-III city, and if incorporated, be under two years old.
- Implementing agency
- MeitY Startup Hub is a unified national platform under MeitY integrating startup, incubation and innovation initiatives.
Don’t confuse with GENESIS vs Startup India Seed Fund Scheme: GENESIS is a MeitY scheme for tech startups in Tier-II/III cities. The Startup India Seed Fund Scheme is run by DPIIT and covers startups across sectors.
Schemes: 52 Prelims questions since 2013, 10 in Prelims 2026 alone. They test features, the period and who funds it. In Mains, 33 news-triggered questions, mostly GS3.
Why it matters
- Spreads startup support beyond metros to Tier-II and Tier-III cities.
- Backs DeepTech areas such as AI, semiconductors, quantum and cybersecurity.
Problems
- Small grants of up to ₹10 lakh may not carry ventures to scale without follow-on funding.
- Tier-II/III regions may lack mentors, investors and incubator capacity.
Way forward
- Link EIR graduates to the Pilot and Investment components for continued funding.
- Strengthen local incubators and industry-academia links in smaller cities.
Put in your answer
GENESIS outlay: Cite the ₹490 crore outlay as an example of targeted support for startups outside metros.
UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.
No practice question for this one; the card may still help an answer. Why: Scheme with an EIR component aimed at Tier-II and III cities. Worth a card, but a cohort launch gives few testable facts.
Worth revising until Prelims 2028: most news questions come within two years of the event.