C2S Expands from 315 to 500 Institutions Under ISM 2.0 — Manufacturing Curriculum Added
The Chips to Startup (C2S) programme — currently enrolling 315 universities with free EDA tool access — will expand to 500 institutions under ISM 2.0. For the first time, a manufacturing curriculum is being added alongside chip design. Institutions not yet enrolled have a narrow window.
The Chips to Startup (C2S) programme was launched under ISM 1.0 to provide free access to professional EDA tools from Synopsys, Cadence, and Siemens EDA to enrolled engineering institutions. As of the ISM 2.0 Cabinet announcement on July 15, 315 institutions are enrolled with approximately 68,000 students trained.
Under ISM 2.0, C2S expands to a 500-institution target. The more significant change is the addition of a manufacturing curriculum alongside the existing design-focused EDA programme. This is the first formal recognition within government policy that chip design training alone does not address the workforce needs of the OSAT, ATMP, and fab facilities now operational or under construction in India.
The 185 institutions between 315 and 500 represent the window for institutions not yet enrolled in C2S. AICTE-affiliated engineering colleges with ECE departments and a commitment to integrating C2S curriculum are the primary target. Applications go through the C2S portal at chips2startup.meity.gov.in. Approval-to-tool-access typically takes 3-6 months.
An institution not yet enrolled in C2S should apply now — before the 500-institution cap is reached. C2S enrolment strengthens an ISM 2.0 training centre application by demonstrating an existing government partnership and structured semiconductor curriculum. More practically: the design skills that C2S builds and the manufacturing skills that ISM 2.0 Pillar 6 funds are complementary, not competing. An institution with both is a full-spectrum semiconductor training centre — the strongest possible ISM 2.0 applicant profile. The manufacturing curriculum addition also means C2S is no longer exclusively a feeder for fabless design companies. It is now explicitly aligned with the operational hiring needs of Micron, Kaynes, CG Semi, and Tata TSAT.