BioNEST - CFTRI

Choosing the right route

• Pick the floating or virtual route if you already have an office and need pilot plant or lab time for three to six months.
• Pick the regular route if you want to work from the incubator full-time for a longer term.
• Plan your own R&D. Mentors advise but do not run experiments for you, and outsourced lab work is charged separately.

How to apply

• Download the incubator proforma from the apply page, fill it in, and email it to managerbionest@cftri.res.in.
• The site also asks for a pre-application questionnaire with a detailed proposal: your business plan, intended duration and the facilities you need. Prepare it alongside the proforma.
• For questions, call the BioNEST manager's office on 0821-2515910.

How selection works

• Shortlisted companies give a short presentation on the critical points of the business plan to the Selection cum Monitoring Committee.
• Reviewers look at the potential of the idea for IP creation, the strength of the core business team, financial and commercial viability, and the status of the organisation.

Before you commit

• Both routes are paid. Registration and a refundable caution deposit are charged on top of the monthly facility charge, so ask the manager for the current schedule.
• Confirm your term length in writing, since the site gives different figures.
• Check the team-size limit of five for your suite before you plan hiring.

BioNEST at CSIR-CFTRI is a bioincubator in Mysuru, Karnataka, run inside the Central Food Technological Research Institute, a constituent laboratory of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research. It is branded BIRAC-BioNEST and is built for startups and SMEs working on food technology, post-harvest technology and food bioprocessing. Its stated aim is to turn early ideas into commercially viable technologies.

How the programmes work

The incubator runs two routes. A floating or virtual incubatee keeps an office elsewhere and uses the institute's pilot plant and analytical facilities for a period of three to six months. A regular incubatee works from the BioNEST space on a full-time basis for six to 24 months. The programmes page says startups are free to choose either route.

The site describes a standard term of 24 months, extendable by six months with approval. The rules give a different exit point of 18 months unless the term is extended, so ask which term applies when you apply.

Who can apply

The site says companies are eligible for admission, as per its rules and regulations. The site addresses startups, MSMEs and companies. Teams housed in the suites should not exceed five people in the functional team.

Facilities

Incubatees are offered office suites of different sizes, common office facilities, access to the host institution's library and the common instrumentation facility. The incubator's facilities page lists molecular biology and microbiology equipment, including a BSL-2 biosafety lab, real-time PCR, tissue culture, fluorescence microscopes and general lab equipment.

Pilot plant and scale-up facilities of the institute are open to BioNEST incubatees at discounted rates on a daily rental basis. Use of the host institute's infrastructure follows CSIR-CFTRI norms, and specialised instruments and pilot plants are charged as per CSIR-CFTRI procedure.

Support on offer

Mentorship comes from industry volunteers and CFTRI scientists, covering go-to-market strategy, ingredient formulation, troubleshooting, pitching and project planning. Mentors give guidance only. They do not carry out R&D in their labs, and any lab work has to be commissioned as a chargeable project. Mentors must keep incubatees' proprietary information confidential and disclose any conflict of interest.

Regulatory help is provided through external consultants for food licensing and compliance. Startups can also use CFTRI's technology database. Some technologies are free and others are available under licence. The incubator runs hands-on training, workshops and network meetings with industry, and holds periodic sessions with investors through workshops and hackathons.

Locations

The incubator's listed office is Cheluvamba Mansion, opposite the Rail Museum, in Mysuru.

Exit and graduation

Companies must leave on completing their term, and earlier on underperformance, when they grow beyond 10 employees, on disputes among promoters that affect viability, when a public issue is planned, or after a change in founders without BioNEST's agreement. After the tenure, the company must clear NDC before it leaves. Graduated companies can use services after prior permission from the head of the institute. The rules state that BioNEST's decision on an exit is final.

Who runs it

BioNEST is run by a manager's office at CSIR-CFTRI, which handles applications and day-to-day contact. A Selection cum Monitoring Committee reviews shortlisted companies. Funding comes through BIRAC, the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council, under its BioNEST scheme. The homepage also lists recent activity, including a food hackathon and the Karnataka Elevate 2024 grant winners.

Where to start

Read the rules and the fee schedule before you apply, since the two routes have different terms and charges. Send the completed proforma to the manager's inbox, and use the same inbox or the listed phone line for questions about either route.