The Centre for Entrepreneurship Development (CED), Gujarat

Choose the right door

CED is mainly a training body, so decide what you need first:

• You have not started yet: look at the Entrepreneurship Development Program, which runs for 2-4 weeks and is open to anyone with or without basic qualification.
• You are a student or faculty member: ask your college to arrange an Entrepreneurship Awareness Program.
• You already run a business: the Second Generation Program is meant for existing entrepreneurs.
• You have a start-up with an innovative product or service: apply to the CED Incubation Centre.

How the incubation application works

• Download the application form and the undertaking from the Incubation Centre page on the CED website.
• Fill both in and send them with all necessary attachments to the incubation centre, using the contact details on that page.
• No deadline is stated, so applications look to be taken on a rolling basis. Ask the centre to confirm.
• Read the guidelines and eligibility document for start-up registration before you apply.

What the centre looks for

• A clear business idea. Describe the product or service, the market fit, the demand and how it can be commercialised.
• Something innovative at the core. The product, service, business model, distribution model or method should be new in a way you can explain.
• A priority sector helps. Social impact, waste, water, financial inclusion, education, agriculture, dairy, food processing, biotechnology, healthcare, energy and logistics get preference.
• CED training counts. The centre says it gives more emphasis to entrepreneurs who have completed CED training.
• Seed support is one time. Any start-up will not receive seed support more than once, so apply when you are ready.

Before you contact CED

• Check the annual training plan for the year on the CED website for dates and districts.
• Keep your Udyog Aadhar or MSME number and GST number handy if you already have a business, since CED's hand-holding support records them.

The Centre for Entrepreneurship Development (CED) is a Government of Gujarat body that trains first-time entrepreneurs and runs an incubation centre for start-ups. It was set up in May 1979 by the state's industrial corporations together with the State Government, and its head office is in Udhyogbhavan, Gandhinagar. It is registered as a society under the Societies Registration Act and is an autonomous body. CED has run entrepreneurship development training since 1979 and skill development since 2009.

CED is not a typical venture-backed accelerator. Most of what it does is training for people who want to start or grow a small business in Gujarat, and the incubation centre is a newer addition for innovators and start-ups. Founders from Gujarat will find the most use in it, since the training plans, district plans and regional offices are all built around the state.

How the training programmes work

CED's core product is the Entrepreneurship Development Program, or EDP. It runs for 2-4 weeks in districts and talukas across the state, in online and offline formats. Any individual with or without basic qualification and experience can join, though preference goes to candidates who have finished post graduate, graduate, diploma or ITI courses. The sessions cover which industry to start, how to start, market survey, managerial inputs, project report preparation, counselling, achievement motivation and post training supportive assistance. Experts from industry are invited to speak.

Alongside EDP there are three other programme types. The Entrepreneurship Awareness Program is for final year students of ITIs, polytechnics and engineering, pharmacy, science, arts and commerce colleges and management institutes, and for their faculty. The Second Generation Program is for existing entrepreneurs who need help with technology up-gradation, product diversification, quality marks, export procedures, financial management and family business. The Human Resources Development and Achievement Motivation Program is for academic institutes and industrial and business groups, and covers motivation, communication, team building and leadership. CED also supports Entrepreneurship Development Cells in colleges.

Each year CED publishes an annual training plan and an annual district plan, so the first step for most people is to check the current plan and then contact the regional office nearest to them.

The CED Incubation Centre

CED created the CED Incubation Centre, called CIC, at its Naroda campus in Ahmedabad for innovators, incubators and new entrepreneurs with a concept or idea. It gives more emphasis to entrepreneurs who have successfully completed training with CED. CED is an approved nodal institute of the Government of Gujarat under the Gujarat Start-up Policy 2020.

The centre makes the Naroda campus resources available: an auditorium, a conference room, a computer lab and a pool of CED empanelled experts. CED says it will guide and nurture serious and enthusiastic entrepreneurs and start-ups through the centre. Start-ups apply under the state's scheme for assistance for start-ups and innovation, and any start-up will not receive seed support more than once.

Who can apply to the incubation centre

A start-up must have a business idea to develop a product or a service with market fit, fulfilling demand and viable commercialization, and must say what inspired the idea and what is innovative about it. It should use innovative concepts in its core product, service, business model, distribution model or methodology to solve the problem it targets. CED gives preference to start-ups creating innovative solutions in sectors such as social sector impact, waste management, water management, financial inclusion, education, agriculture, dairy technology, food processing, biotechnology, healthcare, energy and logistics.

Hand-holding after training

CED has a Post-training Hand-holding Support Cell, because the real outcome of training is a trainee who starts a business. The cell supports trainees after the programme with mentoring and counselling, and CED says it will hire mentors for this. It keeps a Directory of Entrepreneurs with details of each venture, such as its Udyog Aadhar or MSME number, GST number and loan details. A help desk is available at each CED regional office. CED also has a special counselling cell for scheduled caste, scheduled tribe and women entrepreneurs.

Skill development

Since 2009 CED has also been the nodal agency for the state's skill development schemes for industry, including anchor institutes, short-term bridge courses, skill up-gradation centres and assistance for MSME sector skilling. These are aimed at training providers, industry and trainees rather than start-ups, and registration for skill development training is done online through the CED portal.

Scale

On its Achievements page CED reports that it has conducted 1839 programmes with 80151 trainees. The page does not give the period precisely, so treat the figure as CED's own count rather than an audited total.

Locations

The head office is at Block No. 1, 9th Floor, Udhyogbhavan, Sector 11, Gandhinagar 382 017. The CED Campus is at Plot No. 87-88, GIDC, Naroda, Ahmedabad 382 330, which houses the incubation centre. CED also lists regional offices in Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, Rajkot, Bhavnagar, Kutch, Arvalli, Porbandar and Valsad. Its toll free number is 180021222021, and it lists a careers page and an events page on its website.