ENA Sectors 2024-05-08 15:31:08 <p><span style="font-size:14px"><strong>New Delhi, May 8 (KNN)</strong> Close to two dozen startups have written to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), urging the government not to discontinue the Digital Communication Innovation Square (DCIS) scheme midway.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:14px">The scheme supports research, development, product design, and intellectual property creation in the telecom sector. The startups highlighted that the continuity of the scheme and financing is crucial as the R&amp;D journey cycles are fairly long.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:14px">They claimed that while most startups are not yet self-sustaining, they are working on promising solutions, reported FE. The startups said they have not received a significant portion of their grants under the scheme despite reaching relevant milestones.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:14px">According to industry executives, one reason DoT is considering closing the scheme is that a few startups have turned profitable. The DCIS scheme, launched in 2021, aimed to fund telecom startups for five years.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:14px">In the last financial year, it had 66 startup beneficiaries, offering grants of up to Rs 50 lakhs for startups and Rs 2 crore for micro, small and medium enterprises, which could go up to Rs 10 crore based on the project.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:14px">DoT officials stated that a decision on the scheme's continuation will be taken after discussions, with plans to accommodate more companies under the existing Telecom Technology Development Fund (TTDF).</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:14px"><em><strong>(KNN Bureau)</strong></em></span></p> 37719 https://knnindia.co.in/news/newsdetails/sectors/startups-urge-government-to-continue-telecom-rd-scheme 2024-05-08 15:31:08 knnindia.co.in