a-IDEA, ICAR-NAARM
ICAR-NAARM
भारत का प्रमुख कृषि-व्यवसाय इनक्यूबेटर ICAR-NAARM, हैदराबाद में, जो 2014 से 300 से अधिक एग्रीटेक स्टार्टअप्स का पोषण कर रहा है।
a-IDEA, ICAR-NAARM at a glance
| Part of | ICAR-NAARM |
|---|---|
| Established | 2014 |
| Address | a-IDEA, ICAR-NAARM Campus, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad, Telangana |
| Programmes | 2 standing programmes |
| Official website | aidea.naarm.org.in |
| coo.aidea@naarm.in |
Programs by a-IDEA, ICAR-NAARM
7 past programs · Filter all programs
Track record
What a-IDEA, ICAR-NAARM reports about its portfolio.
a-IDEA reports 310+ startups supported, Rs 182 crore+ raised by its portfolio and 2,208+ jobs enabled. It also cites 100+ Farmer Producer Organizations supported — a metric almost no other incubator reports, and a fair signal of how far its work sits from the usual startup-accelerator model.
All figures self-reported — aidea.naarm.org.in, as of Jul 2026.
Programmes they run
Standing programmes at a-IDEA, ICAR-NAARM, separate from the funding calls above.
The BIRAC BIG grant is the best-documented route here — Rs 50 lakh, non-dilutive, 18 months to proof of concept, with clear rules on company age and shareholding. a-IDEA also channels schemes from DST, DBT, NABARD, SIDBI, MSME, MeitY and DPIIT, matched to the startup, so it is worth asking which of those fits your stage.
SIDBI SEED of a-IDEA
Grant schemeFunding Support Up to ₹1 Crore
What you get, who can apply and how to applyHide details
Accelerating the next generation of Agri & Allied startups with strategic capital and ecosystem backing. Eligibility Criteria: Early-stage startups (PoC / MVP to early commercialization) with a scalable technology or solution. Must be an a-IDEA incubated startup or ready for incubation, with full-time committed founders. DPIIT-recognized Indian Private Limited company (under 10 years from incorporation). Minimum 51% Indian ownership and must not have previously received SIDBI seed funding from other incubators. Focus Sectors: Post-Harvest Technologies Food Technology Supply & Value Chain Agri-FinTech Value Addition & Aquaculture Animal Husbandry Farm Machinery.
BIRAC BIG Grant
Grant schemeGrants upto ₹50 Lakhs
What you get, who can apply and how to applyHide details
Equity Free Grant-in-aid funding without diluting your startup equity. 18 Months Duration to establish proof of concept. Eligibility Criteria: Startups (Pvt Ltd / LLP) incorporated for less than 5 years. Company/LLP’s application should be represented by a Project Leader. The Company/LLP must have its own in-house R&D facility that is functional and adequate to execute the project. If the Company/LLP does not have a functional and adequate laboratory of its own then it should be incubated at an incubator. If an applicant company, in which any promoter holding more than or equal to 20% of the shares, is a co-promoter of another ineligible company or a partner in another ineligible LLP, then the applicant will not be eligible. The only exception to this shall be a situation wherein the latter ineligible company/LLP is operating in a non-biotech domain. Focus Areas: Agriculture and Allied Sectors Clean Energy Agri Mechanisation Animal Husbandry Waste Management Food Technology Soil, Water, GIS & Remote Sensing Agri-Bio Technology Precision/Smart Farming Fisheries.
Incubation tracks
The routes into a-IDEA, ICAR-NAARM, and what each one includes.
Incubation at a-IDEA is based on the ICAR-NAARM campus in Rajendranagar, alongside the Krishiboot early-stage track. Terms are set per startup, so raise your stage and requirements with the team directly.
| Track | Type | Space | Includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| IncubationProviding a nurturing environment, expert guidance, and essential resources | Resident incubation | — | — |
| Acceleration Programdynamic initiative designed to propel startups in food and agribusiness to new heights | Acceleration | — | tailored mentorship, strategic guidance, resources |
| Immersion Programimmersive experience tailored for entrepreneurs in agriculture and other sectors | Fellowship | — | hands-on training, mentorship, industry exposure |
Labs & facilities
Equipment and space on campus.
Office Space
Support services
Help offered alongside funding and space.
Recognitions & empanelments
Official approvals this incubator holds.
The spread is the point. Most incubators sit under one or two funders; a-IDEA lists seven, including NABARD, which is unusual and reflects an agri mandate rather than a generic startup one.
a-IDEA is an agriculture institution first
a-IDEA is the Association for Innovation Development of Entrepreneurship in Agriculture, a Technology Business Incubator founded in 2014 and hosted by ICAR-NAARM — the national agricultural research academy — in Hyderabad. That host matters more than it usually does.
Most incubators describe a sector focus. a-IDEA sits physically inside the agricultural research establishment, and its reported outcomes reflect a different mandate: alongside 310+ startups it counts 100+ Farmer Producer Organizations supported. FPOs are farmer collectives, not startups, and no conventional incubator reports them at all.
Good fit: ventures across farm-to-fork value chains — agri-biotech, precision farming, agri-mechanisation, animal husbandry, fisheries, food technology, post-harvest and waste management. The BIRAC BIG grant here is scoped almost entirely to those areas.
Weaker fit: anything without an agricultural or allied angle. The funding routes are agri-scoped end to end, so a general technology startup would find little here that a generalist incubator does not do better.
Worth noting: the BIG grant requires a company under five years old with its own in-house R&D facility, or incubation at a recognised incubator. If you lack lab access of your own, incubation here is effectively a precondition for the largest cheque on offer.
About a-IDEA, ICAR-NAARM
a-IDEA, ICAR-NAARM
कृषि में नवाचार विकास उद्यमिता संघ (a-IDEA) हैदराबाद में ICAR-नेशनल एकेडमी ऑफ एग्रीकल्चरल रिसर्च मैनेजमेंट (NAARM) द्वारा संचालित एक टेक्नोलॉजी बिजनेस इनक्यूबेटर (TBI) है। 2014 में स्थापित, a-IDEA भारत के सबसे केंद्रित कृषि-व्यवसाय इनक्यूबेटरों में से एक है, जो विशेष रूप से कृषि और संबद्ध क्षेत्रों के 14 डोमेन में स्टार्टअप्स को सेवा प्रदान करता है। गतिविधियों को DST, DBT (BIRAC), NABARD, SIDBI, MSME, MeitY और DPIIT द्वारा समर्थित किया जाता है।
कार्यक्रम
कृषिबूट (इनक्यूबेशन): a-IDEA का प्रमुख इनक्यूबेशन कार्यक्रम उन व्यक्तियों के लिए है जिनके पास कृषि में विचार, प्रोटोटाइप या शुरुआती चरण के स्टार्टअप हैं। इनक्यूबेट्स को ICAR-NAARM कैंपस में लैब एक्सेस, विशेषज्ञ मार्गदर्शन, कार्यालय स्थान और नेटवर्क लिंकेज प्राप्त होते हैं।
एग्री उड़ान (एक्सीलरेशन): NABARD द्वारा समर्थित एक खाद्य और कृषि-व्यवसाय एक्सीलरेटर (वर्तमान में अपने 8वें कोहॉर्ट में)। यह पूरे भारत में आशाजनक खाद्य और कृषि-व्यवसाय स्टार्टअप्स की पहचान करता है और उन्हें मार्गदर्शन, उद्योग नेटवर्किंग और निवेशक संबंधों के माध्यम से पोषित करता है।
एग्निट (विचार विकास): इच्छुक उद्यमियों को लक्षित करने वाला एक पूर्व-इनक्यूबेशन संवेदीकरण और विचार विकास कार्यक्रम।
फंडिंग सहायता
- Startup India Seed Fund: PoC सत्यापन के लिए ₹20 लाख तक का अनुदान; बाजार में प्रवेश के लिए परिवर्तनीय डिबेंचर के रूप में ₹50 लाख तक।
- a-IDEA में SIDBI Seed Fund Program: कटाई-पश्चात प्रौद्योगिकी, अभिनव खाद्य प्रौद्योगिकी, एग्री-फिनटेक और पशुपालन में ऑफ-फार्म सेक्टर स्टार्टअप्स के लिए सीड इक्विटी सहायता।
ट्रैक रिकॉर्ड
2014 से, a-IDEA ने कृषि, बागवानी, पशुपालन, मत्स्य पालन, खाद्य प्रसंस्करण और वानिकी सहित विभिन्न क्षेत्रों में 300 से अधिक स्टार्टअप्स का पोषण किया है।
किसे आवेदन करना चाहिए
a-IDEA कृषि से जुड़े संस्थापकों के लिए पहला स्वाभाविक पड़ाव है — चाहे वे विचार चरण में हों या एक कार्यशील प्रोटोटाइप के साथ — जो भारत के प्रमुख कृषि अनुसंधान संस्थान से डोमेन-विशिष्ट मार्गदर्शन, ICAR के वैज्ञानिक संसाधनों तक पहुंच और सरकारी अनुदान वित्तपोषण के लिए सीधे रास्ते चाहते हैं।
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Frequently asked questions about a-IDEA, ICAR-NAARM
What does a-IDEA, ICAR-NAARM do?
a-IDEA, ICAR-NAARM कृषि में नवाचार विकास उद्यमिता संघ (a-IDEA) हैदराबाद में ICAR-नेशनल एकेडमी ऑफ एग्रीकल्चरल रिसर्च मैनेजमेंट (NAARM) द्वारा संचालित एक टेक्नोलॉजी बिजनेस इनक्यूबेटर (TBI) है। 2014 में स्थापित, a-IDEA भारत के सबसे केंद्रित कृषि-व्यवसाय इनक्यूबेटरों में से एक है, जो विशेष रूप से कृषि और संबद्ध क्षेत्रों क…
Where is a-IDEA, ICAR-NAARM located?
a-IDEA, ICAR-NAARM is located at a-IDEA, ICAR-NAARM Campus, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad, Telangana.
What programs does a-IDEA, ICAR-NAARM run?
a-IDEA, ICAR-NAARM runs SIDBI SEED of a-IDEA and BIRAC BIG Grant.
What sectors does a-IDEA, ICAR-NAARM support?
a-IDEA, ICAR-NAARM works with startups in AgriTech, Food Technology, Animal Husbandry, Fisheries, Post Harvest Technology and Agri-Biotech and other sectors.
What stage of startup does a-IDEA, ICAR-NAARM support?
a-IDEA, ICAR-NAARM supports startups at the Ideation, Validation and Early Revenue stages.
What facilities does a-IDEA, ICAR-NAARM offer?
a-IDEA, ICAR-NAARM offers Office Space.
Is a-IDEA, ICAR-NAARM government recognised?
a-IDEA, ICAR-NAARM holds the following recognitions and affiliations: Technology Business Incubator (TBI) hosted by ICAR-NAARM, Partner for BIRAC BIG Grant, Supported by NABARD, Supported by SIDBI, Supported by MSME and Supported by MeitY.
When was a-IDEA, ICAR-NAARM founded?
a-IDEA, ICAR-NAARM was founded in 2014. It operates as an academic.
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