Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has launched a ₹250 crore “Ahmedabad Innovation and Startup Policy 2026” to turn city infrastructure into a living lab for startups solving real urban challenges like traffic, water supply, waste management, transport, and public health.
The policy introduces a structured two-stage evaluation system, where a screening committee identifies problem statements and reviews proposals, and a municipal board gives final approval for pilots and scaling. All problem statements and criteria will be made publicly available for transparency.
A key feature is the Open Urban Data platform, which provides structured access to city data in controlled tiers, allowing startups to test solutions in real conditions while ensuring data privacy compliance.
Selected startups can receive up to ₹7.5 lakh in pilot funding, tax benefits, and access to civic infrastructure such as BRTS corridors and utility networks for testing. Startups retain full IP rights, while the city gets usage rights for civic purposes.
The policy removes traditional tender barriers, encourages deep-tech pilots with flexible timelines, and gives successful startups a right of first refusal for city-wide rollout.
