Overview

The Bharat DPI Experience Centre (B-DEC), implemented by the International Centre for DPI Innovation and Advancement (ICDIA), is India's first dedicated, multi-domain Digital Public Infrastructure Experience and Sandbox Centre. Established under the aegis of the National Institute for Smart Government (NISG), Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, B-DEC is a not-for-profit facility designed to consolidate, demonstrate, test, and incubate DPI solutions across the full spectrum of national and global development priorities. The centre serves simultaneously as a knowledge commons, technology sandbox, diplomatic engagement platform, and innovation incubator for India and the Global South.

B-DEC is the operational fulfilment of India's commitments under the G20 New Delhi Leaders' Declaration 2023, the Alliance for Global Good (AGG), the Global DPI Repository (GDPI-R), and India's South-South cooperation pledges. The Government of India, through NISG and MeitY, has tasked ICDIA with establishing this premier sandbox and showcase hub for Digital Public Infrastructure.

Funding and Benefits

ICDIA and NISG invite Expressions of Interest from corporations, public sector enterprises, foundations, and philanthropic institutions for CSR or philanthropic contributions. The total estimated project cost is INR 25 to 30 Crores, structured as a phased, multi-donor model.

• Phase I — Foundation & Core Infrastructure: INR 12–15 Crores. Includes space preparation, core centre fit-out, primary sandbox infrastructure for Digital Identity and FinTech domains, Executive Briefing Centre, and initial DPI content and experience design.
• Phase II — Domain Expansion & International Readiness: INR 8–10 Crores. Includes operationalisation of AgriTech, HealthTech, EdTech, and Additive Manufacturing domain zones, international delegation facilitation infrastructure, and DPG incubation support.
• Phase III — Global Outreach & Sustaining Capacity: INR 5 Crores. Includes international capacity-building programmes, policy simulation labs, DPG co-creation support for Global South governments, and sustaining operations.

Contributions qualify under Schedule VII of the Companies Act, 2013, including heads related to technology incubators, promoting education, environmental sustainability, eradicating hunger and poverty, healthcare, and reducing inequalities. Contributing organisations may sponsor specific domain experience zones or contribute to one or more phases. Recognition opportunities include naming rights for domain experience zones or facility wings, prominent institutional acknowledgement in all B-DEC communications, participation in B-DEC Advisory and Governance structures, priority access to capacity-building programmes and international engagements, and formal recognition in ICDIA, NISG, and MeitY annual reports.

Domain Architecture

B-DEC is structured as a modular, multi-domain hub with dedicated experiential zones and sandbox modules. The architecture is designed for continuous expansion to accommodate new DPI verticals as they emerge.

• Digital Identity & Trust: Aadhaar-equivalent identity systems, eKYC, verifiable credentials, Digital Locker, biometric authentication, consent management, privacy-by-design frameworks.
• FinTech & Financial Inclusion: UPI ecosystem, payment interoperability, Account Aggregator, Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), open banking, micro-lending infrastructure, financial data empowerment.
• AgriTech: Agristack / Unified Farmer Service Interface (UFSI), soil health monitoring, crop advisory, mandi price integration, digital crop insurance, farm-to-fork traceability, PM-KISAN delivery.
• HealthTech: Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), unified health records, telemedicine infrastructure, FHIR interoperability, public health surveillance, drug supply chain.
• Education Technology: DIKSHA, Academic Bank of Credits (ABC), credential verification, National Digital Education Architecture (NDEAR) framework, accessible digital content delivery, lifelong learning systems.
• Additive Manufacturing & Industry 4.0: Digital manufacturing DPI, Open Industry 4.0 standards, IIoT integration, quality certification platforms, supply chain digitalisation.
• Urban & Smart Governance: e-Office, GIS-based land records, urban local body digital systems, smart city infrastructure, property tax and utilities digitalisation.
• Climate & Environment DPI: Environmental data commons, carbon accounting systems, climate risk monitoring, green finance infrastructure, disaster resilience platforms.
• Emerging / Future Domains: AI governance infrastructure, open networks (education / health / commerce), new Digital Public Goods as they evolve.

Application Process

Interested organisations are invited to submit an Expression of Interest addressed to the Chief Executive Officer, ICDIA / Chief Executive Officer, NISG. Submissions should include the organisation name, registered address and CIN, nature of organisation, contact details of the designated CSR or Sustainability Officer, annual CSR budget range and focus areas, indicative contribution amount or range, preferred phase(s) or domain zone sponsorship interest, any specific conditions or due diligence requirements, and anticipated timeline for internal CSR approval and disbursement.

EOI Reference No.: ICDIA/B-DEC/CSR/2026-27/001

Submission Address:
National Institute for Smart Government (NISG)
5th Floor, Mahindra Tower, Plot No: 2A
Bhikaiji Cama Place
New Delhi, India – 110 066

Email: bdec-csr@nisg.org
Subject Line: EOI Response – B-DEC CSR Partnership – [Organisation Name]
Phone: +91-011-4160-1140, 4269, 4475

ICDIA will acknowledge all EOIs within 10 working days and initiate structured consultations.

Deadline and Timeline

Date of Issue: May 2026, New Delhi, India

Last Date of Submission: 22nd June, 2026

Following receipt of responses, a committee established by NISG will review submissions and create a shortlist. Shortlisted agencies will receive a Terms of Reference (ToR) document with detailed information on roles, responsibilities, selection criteria, and relevant terms and conditions. The appropriate agency for setting up B-DEC will be selected through the ToR process.