Atal Incubation Centre, CSIR-IIIM Srinagar (AIC-IIIM Bio Innovation Foundation)

This centre was set up at CSIR-IIIM's Srinagar branch under the Atal Innovation Mission of NITI Aayog. It operates as its own body, AIC-IIIM Bio Innovation Foundation, chaired by the Director of CSIR-IIIM. Its ventures work on aromatic and medicinal plants, nutraceutical mushrooms, fermentation-based products and other natural-product enterprises. It has signed agreements with ventures from Leh, Kathua, Baramulla and Pulwama.

What you get

• Access to the institute's research resources
• Mentoring and help with market linkages
• Vocational training, including leather processing courses of two and six months
• Hackathons, which the centre has run at least four times

Who can apply

• No eligibility rules are published
• Its incubatees are independent companies from districts across Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh, several of them mushroom growers and food processors

How selection works: each venture presents its business model to an evaluation committee, which assesses innovation, domain expertise and business viability. Successful ventures sign an agreement with the centre's chairman.

How to apply: there is no form. The published contact for the incubator is iiim.tbi@iiim.res.in.