Agri Food Business Incubation Centre (AFBIC), IIT Kharagpur

Choosing the right programme

• Idea stage with no product yet: the Agripreneurship Orientation Program.
• A minimum viable product, or a product or service in expansion: the Agri-startup Incubation Program.
• Enrolled at a recognised university with an agri-business idea: the Student Orientation Program.

How applications work

• The programme pages send applicants to the f6s platform.
• The pages do not state a deadline for the current intake, so check the programme page before you apply.
• Registered startups should declare any grant already received for the same idea or product development.
• The pages do not say whether there is a fee or an equity stake. Check this before you apply.

How selection works

• A committee from AFBIC IIT Kharagpur, NIAM and stakeholders scrutinises application forms.
• Shortlisted candidates are interviewed by the same committee.
• Candidates who meet the shortlisting criteria join the programme.

What reviewers look for

• An innovative idea based on technology, a service or a process.
• A clear link to efficiency, productivity or higher remuneration in agriculture and allied sectors.
• For the incubation programme, an initial business plan with a detailed financial plan.
• No current incubation at another agri-business incubation centre.

The Agri Food Business Incubation Centre at IIT Kharagpur, known as AFBIC, is an innovation and agripreneurship cell that supports agribusiness incubation. It is set up under the RKVY-RAFTAAR scheme of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, and the Agricultural and Food Engineering Department at IIT Kharagpur is responsible for its mentoring and infrastructure work. The centre is based on the Kharagpur campus in West Bengal.

What the centre aims to do

AFBIC's stated vision is to promote, facilitate and develop a sustainable start-up ecosystem in agri-food and allied sectors, with a focus on social upliftment. It works by facilitating access to technology, domain experts and grant-in-aid for product and process innovation, and it takes agri-entrepreneurs from the ideation phase towards commercialisation.

As an Agri-Business Incubator under that scheme, AFBIC helps agriculture business entrepreneurs build viable business models. It gives them a launch pad for technology acquisition, R&D facilitation, commercial technology transfer, networking and knowledge dissemination.

Its focus areas include novel food products and technology, dairy and food processing, value-added processing and waste to wealth, organic farming and supply chain management, IoT and AI based technologies, solar based farm interventions, aquaculture based enterprise, and rural technologies.

How the programmes work

AFBIC runs three programmes, each for a different stage. One page describes the centre's incubator role as running primarily two programmes, while the site now lists three, including the Student Orientation Program. The Agripreneurship Orientation Program is for entrepreneurs at the ideation stage. The Agri-startup Incubation Program is for startups with a minimum viable product, or with a product or service in expansion. The Student Orientation Program is for students with an innovative idea in the agri-business sector.

The Agripreneurship Orientation Program and the Agri-startup Incubation Program give selected participants grant-in-aid for early product and process work. The Student Orientation Program gives selected students seed-stage money. All three combine online sessions, mentoring by domain experts and business plan preparation.

The pages give the Agripreneurship Orientation Program training length two ways, as one month in one place and two months in another, so this page does not state one figure.

Who can apply

Nothing on the Agripreneurship Orientation Program or Agri-startup Incubation Program pages limits them to students. Applicants need an innovative idea that improves efficiency, productivity or remuneration in agriculture and allied sectors. Applicants to the orientation programme are expected to pursue the venture full time, and applicants to the incubation programme need an initial business plan with a detailed financial plan. Registered startups must declare any grant they have already received for the same idea or product development.

The Student Orientation Program is the exception. Only students currently enrolled in a degree programme at any recognised university can apply. In all three programmes, a founder cannot be incubated at another agri-business incubation centre before or at the same time.

How selection works

Application forms are scrutinised by a committee made up of members from AFBIC IIT Kharagpur, NIAM and stakeholders. Shortlisted candidates are interviewed by the same committee. Candidates who meet the shortlisting criteria then join the programme.

Who runs it

The Agricultural and Food Engineering Department of IIT Kharagpur is entrusted with the centre's mentoring and infrastructure work. The scheme is supported by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, and NIAM takes part in selection.

First cohort

The site's cohort 1 list names startups at seed stage for the 2024-25 year.

Fees, equity and intake

The pages do not say whether there is a fee or an equity stake. They also do not give a deadline for the current intake, so check the programme page before applying.