IICE Incubation

This is IICE's main offer and the reason the centre exists. It runs continuously rather than in cohorts — there is no batch, no intake window and no deadline published — so you apply when your proposal is ready. IICE describes itself as supporting startup ideas from entrepreneurs, innovators and critical thinkers by bringing together the resources of the incubator and of IISER Bhopal.

What you get

• Co-working space with office and research labs on IICE's own floor in the institute's main building
• Common office equipment and high-speed internet
• An innovation lab, and meeting and conference space
• Access to the institute's common instrument facility
• Mentoring from IISER Bhopal faculty and IICE's team
• Help with intellectual property, marketing, and establishing the business and its collateral
• Technical, legal and financial help, and networking
• Campus amenities including the cafeteria, central library and visitor hostel

Who can apply

• Current and past faculty members of IISER Bhopal
• Students and alumni of IISER Bhopal
• Universities that IISER Bhopal has an R&D collaboration with
• Any startup from outside IISER Bhopal
• Applicants in the last two groups must have their application supported by an IISER Bhopal faculty member as mentor or collaborator
• The proposal must fall in one of five thrust areas: healthcare and bioengineering; environment and agriculture; internet of things and artificial intelligence; social and rural development and related technologies; computational sciences and information technology

How selection works: You submit a formal application for admission along with a detailed proposal. A technical evaluation committee of nine IISER Bhopal faculty members, coordinated by Prof. Deepak Chopra, exists to assess proposals. IICE does not publish the steps after submission or who makes the final call.

How to apply: Download the application form and the business proposal guidelines from the IICE apply page. Prepare a business plan and the details of the technology or intellectual property behind the company, attaching the filed or granted patent application if that work came out of IISER Bhopal. Submit through the apply link on that page. If anything about the submission route looks unfinished, write to iice@iiserb.ac.in or office_iice@iiserb.ac.in, or call the IICE office, and ask how to send the proposal.