Incubation services
Workspace, connectivity and startup support at 73 STPI centres. This page sets out what is offered, who can apply, what it costs, and exactly how to apply.
What the service is
STPI rents out ready-to-use office space to technology companies. Across its 73 centres it holds more than 18 lakh square feet of built-up incubation area. You can take a single desk, a closed cabin, or an entire floor of bare shell space and fit it out yourself.
A plug-and-play seat comes furnished and connected. Power, air conditioning, internet bandwidth, housekeeping, security and access to shared meeting rooms are included in the monthly charge, so a team can move in and start work the same week.
Software product startups may also apply to the Next Generation Incubation Scheme (NGIS). NGIS adds funding support, a mentor, cloud credits and market-access help on top of the workspace. NGIS selection is separate from a space allotment and runs to its own calendar.
- Built-up incubation space
- 18.4 lakh sq ft
- Centres offering space
- 73 across 28 states
- Plug-and-play seats
- About 9,600
- Minimum licence term
- 11 months
Who it is for
Any Indian-registered entity doing IT, ITeS, electronics or software product work can apply. You do not need to be an STP unit first, and you do not need to have raised funding.
IT and ITeS companies
Private limited companies, LLPs and registered partnerships writing software, running IT-enabled operations or exporting services. Existing STP units get the same rates at a centre where space is free.
Startups
Entities incorporated within the last ten years with turnover under ₹100 crore, holding a DPIIT recognition number. DPIIT-recognised startups get a 25 per cent concession on seat rates for the first 24 months.
MSMEs
Micro, small and medium enterprises with a valid Udyam registration in a technology trade. Udyam-registered micro enterprises are exempt from the interest-free security deposit for the first year.
Academic and research spin-offs
Companies spun out of a recognised institution, with a letter from the institution's head. These applications are assessed against the same criteria but are given priority when a centre is fully occupied.
What space is not allotted for
- Space is not allotted for retail, warehousing, manufacturing or residential use.
- An applicant with dues outstanding at any STPI centre is not considered until those dues are cleared.
What it costs
Indicative monthly charges by category. Every figure is exclusive of tax.
| Category | What is included | Metro centres | Tier-II and Tier-III | Charged |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plug-and-play open seat | Workstation, chair, power, air conditioning, 2 Mbps shared internet | ₹6,500 | ₹3,200 | per seat, per month |
| Plug-and-play seat in a shared cabin | Enclosed four to six seat cabin, lockable, same services as an open seat | ₹8,200 | ₹4,100 | per seat, per month |
| Private cabin, up to 12 seats | Dedicated room, own access control, 10 Mbps dedicated internet | ₹96,000 | ₹46,000 | per cabin, per month |
| Furnished office space | Partitioned area with furniture, cabling and shared reception | ₹62 | ₹28 | per sq ft, per month |
| Bare shell space | Unfurnished area with power and network risers; you fit it out | ₹41 | ₹18 | per sq ft, per month |
| Meeting room, hourly | Eight to twenty seats with display and video conferencing | ₹900 | ₹450 | per hour |
- Metro rates apply at Noida, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Pune. Tier-II and Tier-III rates apply everywhere else, including Guwahati, Bhubaneswar, Mohali and Gandhinagar.
- Goods and services tax at 18 per cent is charged on top of every figure above. An interest-free security deposit equal to three months' charge is payable before occupancy.
- Rates are indicative for this prototype and are revised by the centre each financial year. The allotment letter carries the figure that actually applies to you.
How to apply
Six steps in a fixed order. From a complete application, allotment normally takes ten working days.
Step 1: Gather your documents
Collect everything on the checklist below and scan it. Check the accepted formats and the size limit before you scan, so you do not have to redo anything.
- Turnaround
- Your own time
- Done by
- Applicant
Step 2: Submit the application
Fill the space requisition form, attach the scanned documents and send it to the centre. You receive an acknowledgement with a request number the same working day.
- Turnaround
- Acknowledged same working day
- Done by
- Applicant
Step 3: Centre assessment
The centre checks that your documents are complete, confirms space is available in the category you asked for, and may call you in for a short discussion about your requirement. If a document is missing you are told which one, once.
- Turnaround
- 7 working days
- Done by
- STPI centre
Step 4: Allotment letter
If the assessment clears, the centre issues an allotment letter naming the seats or area allotted, the monthly charge, the security deposit and the date the offer lapses. The offer is open for 15 days.
- Turnaround
- 3 working days after assessment
- Done by
- STPI centre
Step 5: Sign the agreement and pay
Accept the allotment, pay the security deposit and the first month's charge, and sign the licence agreement on stamp paper. Both are needed before keys are issued.
- Turnaround
- Within 15 days of the allotment letter
- Done by
- Applicant
Step 6: Take occupancy
Access cards are issued, the seats are handed over and internet is activated. Report any snag within the first week and the centre fixes it at its own cost.
- Turnaround
- 2 working days after payment clears
- Done by
- STPI centre
What you need to submit
Read the file rules first, then scan. Getting the format and size right the first time is what keeps an application to seven days.
Before you scan anything
- Accepted file formats
- PDF, JPG, JPEG or PNG
- Maximum size per file
- 5 MB
- Maximum size for all files together
- 25 MB
- File naming
- Letters, numbers, hyphen and underscore only. No spaces.
- Scan quality
- 200 dpi, black and white, except the photograph and the seal which should be in colour.
A file larger than 5 MB is rejected by the portal. Scan at 200 dpi rather than the scanner's highest setting and a ten-page document stays under 2 MB.
| Document | Who submits it | Required |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate of incorporation or registration | All applicants | Mandatory |
| PAN of the entity | All applicants | Mandatory |
| GST registration certificateIf you are below the GST threshold, submit a signed declaration saying so instead. | All applicants | Mandatory |
| Memorandum and articles of association, or LLP deed | Companies and LLPs | Mandatory |
| Board resolution authorising the signatory | Companies | Mandatory |
| Identity and address proof of the authorised signatoryAadhaar, passport, voter identity card or driving licence. | All applicants | Mandatory |
| Audited financial statements for the last two yearsA newly incorporated entity submits a bank statement for the last six months instead. | Entities older than two years | If it applies |
| DPIIT startup recognition certificate | Startups claiming the concession | If it applies |
| Udyam registration certificate | MSMEs claiming the deposit waiver | If it applies |
| Brief write-up on your business and space requirementOne page. State the number of seats, the start date and the term you want. | All applicants | Mandatory |
Attach your documents
Demonstration only — this prototype has no server, so nothing leaves your device. The size check below is the same one the portal applies.
PDF, JPG, JPEG or PNG. Up to 5 MB per file, 25 MB in total.
Questions we are asked most
Eleven months. The licence agreement is renewable by mutual consent, and most centres renew on the same terms if your account is clear. Leaving early needs 60 days' written notice; the security deposit is returned within 45 days of handing the space back.
No. Space and STP registration are separate services. Many tenants are domestic companies with no export obligation at all. If you later decide to register as an STP unit, the same centre handles that application.
Renting a seat is a commercial arrangement that anyone eligible can enter. NGIS is a selective scheme for software product startups: you pitch, a committee selects, and the selected startups get funding support, a mentor, cloud credits and market access in addition to workspace. Applying for one does not commit you to the other.
Your request is put on a waiting list in the order it was received and you are told your position. The centre also tells you which nearby centres have space in the same category. A waiting-list request does not expire; withdraw it in writing whenever you wish.
Yes. Incubation floors are open around the clock on every day of the year. Night access for women employees follows the centre's safety protocol, which includes a staffed security desk and transport assistance on request.
The included bandwidth is shared and suits ordinary office work. If you need guaranteed throughput, buy a dedicated internet leased line from STPI's datacom service. You may also bring a third-party link, subject to written permission and the centre's cabling rules.
The rejection letter states the reason. If it was a missing or unreadable document, fix that one item and resubmit; the seven-day assessment clock restarts. If you disagree with the decision, write to the Director of the jurisdictional directorate within 30 days, quoting your request number.
Talk to a centre before you apply
Space, rates and waiting lists differ by centre, so a five-minute call saves a rejected application. Write to the directorate that covers your location, quote the number of seats you need and the month you want to move in, and the centre will tell you what is free.
STPI Noida directorate
Covers Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and the National Capital Region. Approach this office for space at Noida, Lucknow, Kanpur, Prayagraj, Gorakhpur and Dehradun.
Ganga Shopping Complex, Sector 29, Noida 201303, Uttar Pradesh
Telephone: 0120-241 2020
Email: incubation.noida@stpi.in
Monday to Friday, 9.30 am to 6 pm. Visitors without an appointment are seen between 3 pm and 5 pm.
STPI Chennai directorate
Covers Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, and hosts FinBlue, the Centre of Entrepreneurship for fintech. Approach this office for space at Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Tirunelveli and Puducherry.
No. 5, 3rd Cross Street, CIT Campus, Taramani, Chennai 600113, Tamil Nadu
Telephone: 044-2254 2226
Email: incubation.chennai@stpi.in
Monday to Friday, 9.30 am to 6 pm. FinBlue holds an open desk every Wednesday afternoon.
National incubation helpline: 1800-425-0777
Monday to Saturday, 9 am to 8 pm. Toll free from any Indian number.