North-Eastern Hill University, Tura Campus

Choose the right unit

• For a technology-based idea in food processing or value addition, the Incubation Centre's Expression of Interest is the route.
• For agriculture, nutrition, biotechnology or life sciences, the B3I Facility is the route. Use its Query Form or Incubation Application Form.

How applications work

• Incubation Centre: send the e-application by email in the prescribed form, with 'Application for Registration of Startups at Incubation Center-NEHU' in the subject line. A pitch deck can be attached.
• The Incubation Centre membership form is submitted to the Incubation Centre, Department of Agribusiness Management and Food Technology, with a one-time membership fee paid on submission.
• Before signing an incubation agreement, promoters submit photos, PAN, ID proof, two references, an executive summary and proof of permanent address. The company incorporation certificate is due within a month of registering.
• A refundable security deposit equal to two months' rent is required before joining the Incubation Centre.

How selection works

• A committee of the Incubation Centre evaluates proposals on innovation, technical feasibility, market potential, the team and the financial plan.
• Apply with a feasible project, a financial plan and a clear view of the market and competition.

What reviewers look for

• The problem you solve and the value you offer.
• The technology or business model that sets you apart.
• How you will earn revenue, and how you will sell.
• Who is on the team, and the milestones for the company.

North-Eastern Hill University's Tura campus, in West Garo Hills, Meghalaya, hosts two incubation units for start-ups in the north-east: a university Incubation Centre and the BIRAC BioNEST Bioincubator (B3I) Facility. Both are for people who want to build a business in the region, and each has its own route in.

The two incubation units

The Incubation Centre at the Tura campus was inaugurated on 14 February 2020. It takes technology-based start-ups for physical or virtual incubation. Its stated position is that it is open to ideas in all fields of science and technology, while its own material centres on processed foods and value addition. A company is incubated for up to two years by default, and the centre can extend that by six months with advisory committee approval. Maximum available space is given to incubated companies.

The B3I Facility was established in 2021 and is supported by the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), a Government of India enterprise. It focuses on agriculture, food processing, nutrition, biotechnology and life sciences. It is designed to accommodate up to 25 incubatees at a time.

Facilities and services

The B3I Tura facility spans 6000 sq ft. Its listed facilities include equipment access, plug-and-play incubation suites, a prototyping facility, a food processing and packaging unit, and a high-end computational facility. Its site also describes laboratories, coworking space and advanced analytical facilities.

Services offered through B3I include contract research, food safety management, shelf-life studies, microbiological and physicochemical analyses, bio-functionality testing, prototype validation, IP and legal facilitation, and grant writing support.

Mentoring and funding

Each B3I incubatee is paired with a dedicated mentor, and progress is reviewed monthly. The B3I network includes over 40 experts across the country, covering technology and business development, agri-business management, regulatory compliance, intellectual property and technology transfer. It also draws on NEHU faculty with experience in agriculture, nutrition, biotechnology, renewable energy, robotics and legal matters.

B3I helps innovators reach funding through grants, loans and investment from public and private agencies. Its funding work draws on BIRAC, the Department of Science and Technology, the Department of Biotechnology, MSME and Startup India, among others. Its Proof of Concept Development Programme supports the work of applying for funds: finding suitable grant opportunities, writing grant applications, preparing business plans, running market surveys and pitching ideas.

Who can apply

The B3I site invites innovators, scientists and faculty members, entrepreneurs, researchers, start-ups and students who want to set up a venture in the North-Eastern region. The Incubation Centre asks for an innovative, technology-based idea. Where a similar product already exists on the market, the proposal must add value to it.

Who runs it

The Tura campus of North-Eastern Hill University was established in February 1996, to bring postgraduate education closer to students across the state. It began with the English and Garo departments, and its Department of Management started in July 2006. It now has 11 departments offering postgraduate and doctoral courses. Both incubation units operate from the campus, and the B3I Facility is in the Tura campus at Chasingre, Tura, West Garo Hills, Meghalaya, PIN 794002.

Events and network

B3I reports that its events have engaged over 6500 participants, with the strongest response in Meghalaya and the wider north-east. At the inaugural MEGHA START-UP EXPO 2023, over 200 innovative entrepreneurs from Meghalaya and the north-east showed their ventures across 91 stalls.

Address

Neither unit states a closing date for applications on the pages reviewed, so check the current intake before applying.

The campus address is North-Eastern Hill University, Tura Campus, Chasingre, Tura, West Garo Hills, Meghalaya 794002.