Nokia kicked off its Appcelerate-India programme, aimed at boosting app development in the country for its Windows Phone-based Lumia smartphone line.

The programme was launched in Bangalore with $500,000 in funding from Finland-based (and Nokia-backed) AppCampus and members of the Harvard Business School Alumni Angels (India Chapter), to support mobile start-ups and app development.

The partner organisations will also provide grants, seed funding, mentoring and incubation resources to help app developers in their efforts to build viable businesses.

Submissions will be accepted from Indian developers as well as through the Nokia-sponsored talent show, Your Wish Is My App.

“At Nokia, our aim is to support Indian app developers to drive path-breaking innovation on our platform. We believe that this will open up countless opportunities to shape the app ecosystem, giving developers the chance to give new and innovative experiences to consumers,” said Gerard Rego, Nokia India’s director of developer experience.

“This collaboration between AppCampus and Harvard Business Angels can bring significant and sustainable new opportunities for mobile-focused entrepreneurs and their businesses,” added AppCampus chief, Pekka Sivonen.

Nokia and Microsoft jointly invested €18 million to create the AppCampus mobile app accelerator programme, which is managed by Aalto University in Nokia’s home town of Espoo, Finland.