Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies

Before you apply

• Check whether your idea fits the centre's focus: fisheries, aquaculture, marine sciences or allied industries.
• Ask first whether founders from outside KUFOS may apply. The page does not say.

How to apply

• Email bic@kufos.ac.in and ask for the incubation application form. The page has a heading for the form, but no working form link was found.
• Ask about intake dates, fees and equity before you commit. The page does not state these.

What the centre looks for

• A product or service that improves sustainability, productivity or resilience in fisheries or ocean studies.
• A business idea that can grow into a viable company.

The KUFOS Business Incubation Centre, known as KBIC, is run by the Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies in Panangad, Kochi. The university is an autonomous public-funded institution, established on 20 November 2010 under the Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies Act, 2010.

What the centre is for

KBIC aims to nurture knowledge-based and innovation-driven enterprises, and to help entrepreneurs at the early stages of a business. Its focus is fisheries, aquaculture, marine sciences and allied industries. The centre's stated goals include job creation and the commercialisation of products and services that improve sustainability and productivity in the fisheries and ocean studies sector.

Who can apply

The centre takes entrepreneurs with innovative start-up ideas in its focus sectors. Its page does not say whether founders from outside KUFOS may apply, so ask the centre before you prepare an application.

Startups on the page

The centre's page lists these incubatees: Team Omega, Hyba Pads, Stem Systems, Peekie, TFO Technologies, SreeJeevanam, Jopees 4 Tech, Think Raw India and S A Hajla Foods. The page does not give dates for the list.

Who runs it

The centre is coordinated by a KUFOS faculty member and has a business incubation manager and a small team of research scholars and staff, as named on its page.

Activities

KBIC's recent public activities include hands-on training in bakery products, fish processing and value-added fruit and vegetable products, an entrepreneurship webinar series, and a fisheries pitch event called FETE. The university also runs an entrepreneurship development cell and an Institution Innovation Council.

Location

The main campus is at Panangad Road, Madavana Junction, Kochi, Ernakulam, Kerala 682506. The centre's page gives the bic@kufos.ac.in address for enquiries.