MANAGE-Fisheries Innovation and Startup Hub (MANAGE-FISHub)

Pick the right route in

• Idea stage, no business plan yet: the Pre-Incubation Mentoring Program is written for idea and pre-idea stage aquapreneurs.
• A clear idea and an initial business plan: the Incubation Program asks for both, plus a full-time commitment.
• A competition entry: Aqua-Eureka is open to students and rural youth as well as startups, and teams of up to two can enter.

Check the dates first

• The most recent dated calls on the hub's pages closed in November 2025, and the Pre-Incubation batch ran in December 2025.
• The Aqua-Eureka pages give two different closing dates for the 2025 edition, 15 November 2025 and 30 November 2025. Read the registration form for the call you are answering.

How applications work

• Incubation: submit the prescribed application form through the online link on the programme page.
• Aqua-Eureka: register through the online form, then submit your presentation in the PPT template the hub provides for the preliminary round.
• Pre-incubation: the programme page does not state an application route, so ask the hub directly.

How selection works

• Incubation: a Centre of Excellence Incubation Committee evaluates applicants. Its 2026 evaluation covered the seed, pre-seed and student pre-seed tracks.
• Aqua-Eureka: entries are screened first, then shortlisted teams give online business plan presentations, and the top teams go to the finale.

What reviewers look for

• Aqua-Eureka: innovativeness, uniqueness, the viability of the business plan, and how well the idea solves a real problem in fisheries or aquaculture.
• Incubation: innovative, technology-driven product, service or platform ideas, and a real commitment to building the business full time.

Know what the hub gives

• Selected incubation startups can be recommended for grant-in-aid under the RKVY-RAFTAAR scheme, subject to eligibility.
• Aqua-Eureka winners and selected innovations get preference for technical, business and network support, and grant-in-aid or funding support subject to assessment.

MANAGE-Fisheries Innovation and Startup Hub, known as MANAGE-FISHub, is an incubation and innovation hub for fisheries and aquaculture startups. It is hosted at the National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management (MANAGE) in Rajendranagar, Hyderabad, and was set up in 2025 with support from the Department of Fisheries under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying.

What the hub is for

The hub says its aim is to mentor innovation-driven, technology-based and service-based fisheries startups, and to help them commercialise technologies. Its About page lists access to mentoring, legal, financial, technical and IP-related support as part of that aim. Its Offerings page lists technical and business mentoring, market access and industry connections, regulatory and legal advisory, and financial support facilitation.

How its programmes work

The hub runs three programmes that founders can apply to. All three show 2025 intakes, and none of the pages we read shows an open call.

The MANAGE-FISHub Incubation Program is a one-month mentoring and hands-on programme for applicants with an innovative fisheries or aquaculture idea. Its first cohort launched on 15 August 2025. Physical mentoring ran in December 2025, online training ran in January 2026, and a committee evaluation followed in February 2026. Its 2025-26 annual report says the cohort drew 42 applications and selected 22 startups.

The Pre-Incubation Mentoring Program for Fisheries Startups is a 22-day course for idea-stage and pre-idea-stage aquapreneurs. It combines 30 hours of structured sessions across 15 days with one week of one-on-one handholding. It is a paid programme. Its December 2025 batch ran from 1 December to 24 December 2025 and enrolled 32 participants.

MANAGE Aqua-Eureka is a national-level aqua innovation challenge. Entries go through a preliminary round, online presentations, a five-day mentoring programme at the MANAGE campus, and a grand finale. The 2025 edition received 50 applications, shortlisted 23 startups and had 12 startups take part in the mentoring programme.

Who can apply

Incubation applicants need an innovative idea in the fisheries and aquaculture sector that uses technology, processes, services or business platforms. They must be prepared to work on the venture full time, and they need a clear initial business plan. The pre-incubation course is open to idea and pre-idea-stage aquapreneurs, aspiring aquapreneurs, students, and people working in the fisheries startup ecosystem. Aqua-Eureka is open to aspiring aqua entrepreneurs, students, rural youth and early-stage founders from across the country, and an entry can be made by a team of up to two people.

Facilities and support

The hub lists co-working space among its offerings. Its compendium says its incubation programmes offer access to co-working spaces, expert business and technical mentoring, and investor networks.

Events and resources

The hub runs a Fortnightly Friday (F3) webinar series and publishes numbered reports from them. It also holds Fisheries Startup and Aquapreneurship Stakeholders Meets, which include startup pitching and exhibition sessions. Its Resources section lists brochures, reports, a technology repository and a founder spotlight series, so it is worth checking there before you apply.

Scale

The figures on this page come from the hub's own 2025-26 annual report. They describe one incubation cohort and one Aqua-Eureka edition, and they are self-reported. They are not a running total of every startup the hub has supported.

Who runs it

Dr. Saravanan Raj is Director (Agricultural Extension) at MANAGE and chief executive of MANAGE-FISHub. The team page also lists an innovation scaling specialist, two business executives and two innovation research fellows.

Where it is

The hub operates from MANAGE in Rajendranagar, Hyderabad, and its Aqua-Eureka mentoring week took place on that campus.