The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe) has announced the selection of 15 organisations for pilot demonstrations under its Seed Fund Scheme for Use-Case Demonstration by Indian Non-Government Entities. The initiative is aimed at accelerating the adoption of space-enabled technologies to address critical national challenges across agriculture, disaster management, water security and infrastructure monitoring.
The selected projects emerged from 92 proposals evaluated by a panel comprising domain experts, representatives from user agencies, and specialists from ISRO and IN-SPACe.
Under the agriculture-focused use case, Infosys Limited, Bhoomicam Pvt. Ltd. and AgCane Science & Services Pvt. Ltd. will develop solutions for pest and disease forewarning and early detection of crop stress. JalViks Pvt. Ltd., Nansei Restoration LLP and Semantic Technologies and Agritech Services Pvt. Ltd. have been selected for Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)-based applications using NISAR data.
For critical infrastructure monitoring, Biosky Space Innovations Pvt. Ltd., Quantasip Geomatic Informative Solutions Pvt. Ltd. and Vassar Labs IT Solutions Pvt. Ltd. will work on decision support systems for power sector installations and Right of Way management. Reservoir rim slope stability monitoring projects will be undertaken by Vassar Labs IT Solutions Pvt. Ltd., EarthSense Labs Pvt. Ltd. and Suhora Technologies Pvt. Ltd.
Additionally, Vassar Labs IT Solutions Pvt. Ltd., Prithvi Anusandhan Pvt. Ltd. and Infosys Limited have been selected to develop Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) monitoring and early warning systems.
“This initiative marks a defining moment for India’s space economy. The downstream sector represents the most direct interface between space capabilities and citizen benefit,” said Dr. Pawan Kumar Goenka, Chairman, IN-SPACe. He added that successful pilot projects could evolve into operational programmes for government agencies.
Rajeev Jyoti, Director (Technical Directorate), IN-SPACe, said the selected projects will leverage satellite data, AI/ML technologies and IoT devices to validate practical solutions for real-world challenges.
Building on the response to the programme, IN-SPACe plans to introduce additional use-cases and opportunities, further expanding private sector participation in India’s rapidly growing space economy.
