A Cluster for 5-6 students/young Entrepreneurs to test their ideas/discoveries and take them to Proof of Concept; An incubation space-2500-3000 Sq.ft; BIRAC Innovation Fellowships for two (2) Post Docs., and four (4) Post M.Sc. Fellows per university
Funding Agency: Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Govt of India
Area(s): Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Medical Sciences
Financial Incentives: a. Post Doc. Fellow: BIRAC Innovation Fellowship @ Rs. 50,000/- p.m. & Innovation Grant of Rs. 5,00,000 p.a. for three years
b. Post M.Sc. Fellows: BIRAC Innovation Fellowship @ Rs. 30,000/- p.m. & Innovation Grant of Rs. 2,00,000 p.a. for three years
c. Industry Participation for training, mentoring, sponsored research and networking opportunities and IP & Technology Management; access to risk finance among others.
Time Period: Not Available
Institution(s) involved: Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC)
Overview: Programme Description & Objectives:
In order to nurture a culture of applied research and need-oriented (societal or industry) innovation among researchers and to catch them young, provide professional mentoring and support needed, it is imperative that there be a focus on fostering local ecosystems.
Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) has developed a focused strategic action plan to foster the culture of innovation and techno-entrepreneurship in Indian Universities, leveraging the University Innovation Cluster (UIC) and Cluster Innovation Centre (CIC) model. Five University clusters as mentioned below have been identified to establish Cluster Innovation Centres:
1. Anna University, Chennai
2. Panjab University, Chandigarh
3. Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore
4. University of Rajasthan, Jaipur
5. University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad
Cluster Innovation Centre in Biotechnology (CIC-B), hosted in these University, are acting as the nerve centre to manage the University Innovation Cluster activities. Along with facilitating the creation of networks, partnerships between stakeholders to strengthen the innovation ecosystem, the CIC-B is providing pre-incubation support to innovative ideas, innovators for effective translation into products thereof.