Sophisticated Analytical & Technical Help Institutes (SATHI)

About Sophisticated Analytical & Technical Help Institutes (SATHI):

• It is an initiative by the Department of Science and Technology to boost access to research and testing facilities and address problems of accessibility, maintenance, redundancy, and duplication of expensive equipment in Institutions.
• It aims to set up a shared, professionally managed Science and Technology (S&T) infrastructure facility which can be readily accessible to academia, start-ups, manufacturing units, industries, and R&D labs. 
• Such S&T infrastructure will be known as the Sophisticated Analytical & Technical Help Institute (SATHI).
• These Centres will be equipped with major analytical instruments and advanced manufacturing facilities which are usually not available at Institutes / Organisations.
• It would encourage and ensure the establishment of a National Network of Laboratories and testing facilities tightly linked to global standards. 
• SATHI facilities will be used for 80% of their available time by external users, e. outside of the host institutes and the remaining 20% of their available time by internal users of the host institute.
• The usage of the facility will be guided by the basic principle of maximum and effective utilization and accessibility for all.
• The facilities provided by the SATHI may be utilized by any user or organization upon payment of nominal charges. 
• Funding:
  • Proposals from well-established, internationally competitive S&T host institutes / R&D Centres / Organizations irrespective of their status as Government / NonGovernment, from State/ Central Universities, are invited through networking and a cluster approach. 
  • The upper limit of funding support from DST would be Rs 60.0 crore for 4 years for acquiring only state-of-the-art national facilities.
  • A not-for-profit Section-8 company as well as a Governing Body (GB) formation are compulsory in consortium mode with the support of the granting agency.
• Duration: The duration of support for the SATHI Project will be for a period not exceeding 4 years.