Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, University of Calicut (CIE @ UOC)

Choosing the right door

• Incubation centre: for students, researchers and aspiring entrepreneurs who want desk space, mentoring and lab access.
• FabLab only: if you mainly need prototyping tools, say so in your email.

How applications work

• Applications go by email to cie@uoc.ac.in. The incubation page has a ready-made application email.
• The site states no deadline, fee, equity term or selection process, so ask these in your first email.

What to put in your email

• Whether you are a University of Calicut student or researcher, or an outside founder.
• What you are building, and what stage it is at.
• Which FabLab tools you need, such as 3D printing, laser cutting or PCB work.
• Ask how many seats are free, because the site gives two different seat counts.

The Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the University of Calicut, known as CIE @ UOC, is the university's incubation centre and FabLab. It is based on the University of Calicut campus at Thenhipalam in Malappuram, Kerala. The centre was set up to nurture the entrepreneurial spirit among students, researchers and aspiring entrepreneurs, and to help them turn ideas into ventures.

How it started

The idea began in 2018, when the University of Calicut and the Kerala Start-Up Mission (KSUM) signed an MOU to set up a fabrication laboratory on the campus. The project gained momentum under the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. MK Jayaraj. A space of 8000 square feet was identified and turned into the centre. It has an incubation centre, a fully equipped FabLab, and a dedicated training and skill space. The centre was officially inaugurated on 16.01.2024.

Who can apply

The centre says it is for students, researchers and aspiring entrepreneurs. That makes it a campus-linked route first: if you study or research at the University of Calicut, or you are an early founder in the Malappuram and Kozhikode region with a product idea, this is the door to try. The site does not publish eligibility rules, a fee, an equity term or a selection process, so ask the team before you assume any of these.

What the incubation centre offers

Incubatees get access to co-working spaces, laboratories and prototyping facilities. The centre says it offers mentorship from experienced professionals across industries, to help founders refine their business model, build their product and understand the market. It also says it works with industry leaders, investors and academic experts to give startups access to funding opportunities, networking events and workshops. The workshop topics it names are intellectual property rights, legal compliance, financial management and go-to-market strategy.

The site gives two different seat counts. The home page shows a live count of occupied and total seats, and the incubation page describes a 50 seater centre. Ask the team how many seats are free before you plan around a desk.

FabLab and prototyping tools

The FabLab is part of the global FabLab network. It offers 3D printers, CNC machines, laser cutters and electronics workstations so teams can build physical prototypes. The tools listed on the site include a CO2 laser cutter, a fiber laser, laser engravers, Bambu Lab 3D printers, a multi-process welder, a Bosch CNC router, PCB prototyping with KiCAD, a screen printing kit, a vinyl cutter, and development boards such as Uno, Nano, Rpi and Jetson. Some further machines are listed as under procurement, so check availability. The FabLab suits hardware, electronics, IoT and product design teams more than pure software startups.

Bootcamps and projects

The site has a bootcamps and workshops page for bootcamps run with other institutions, though it lists no dates. It also shows projects built at the centre, such as a wireless thermal camera, a superconducting levitation demo and a STEM turtle for teaching Scratch programming.

How to apply

Email cie@uoc.ac.in. The home page carries an Apply Now link, and the incubation page has a ready-made application email. Say who you are, what you are building and what stage you are at.

Who runs it

The centre is a unit of the University of Calicut, set up with the Kerala Start-Up Mission. Its director is a professor and head of the Department of Physics at the university.