MoU between CSIR and iCreate to harness India’s tech strength

The Chief Minister of Gujarat, Bhupendra Patel today presided over the MoU signing between the Government of Gujarat’s flagship technology incubator – iCreate (International Centre for Entrepreneurship and Technology) and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), the premier research and development body of the Government of India. Dr Rajiv Kumar Gupta, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary, Industries and Mines Department and Chairman, iCreate and Dr Rahul Gupta, IAS, Industries Commissioner, Government of Gujarat were amongst the dignitaries present.

Under the MoU, CSIR and iCreate intend to establish a collaborative support system for promising tech start-ups by making combined resources available for entrepreneurs and innovators in the country. The partnership will also catalyse scientific innovation and the marketability of high-tech start-ups.

Further, iCreate will help set up new incubators at identified CSIR labs. Such start-ups will access CSIR’s equipment, facilities, and scientific manpower. CSIR will provide intellectual property support and explore methods of financially supporting innovative start-ups from India to boost emerging entrepreneurs.

iCreate will also leverage its deep industry connections and market linkages to identify real needs that can be addressed through scientific innovation by CSIR scientists, thus leading to faster commercialisation of the innovations coming out of CSIR.

Anupam Jalote, CEO of iCreate said, “This is a very powerful alliance that is being forged – CSIR Labs are globally recognised, and their scientific and technical mettle is world-class. iCreate is nimble and market connected – these two traits synergise very well, and I am confident that it will contribute to helping transform India into a global knowledge-driven economy. Budding entrepreneurs may also have CSIR scientists onboarded as mentors for iCreate based on their area of R&D expertise and understanding of technical knowledge”.

Dr. Shekhar C Mande, Director General, CSIR said, “We are proud to partner with iCreate to establish a collaborative environment where the translation of knowledge to value is accelerated. This is another step forward in CSIR’s efforts to boost research and innovation across the nation while also promoting the valuable exchange of ideas, knowledge and expertise.”

The coming together of iCreate and CSIR is expected to open new opportunities for start-ups as a result of new synergies among multiple stakeholders. Since its founding in 2012, iCreate has helped a significant number of start-ups across sectors to grow and scale rapidly. With the CSIR collaboration, iCreate envisions to gain further momentum in supporting India’s robust innovative start-up ecosystem.

CT Bureau