Periyar University

Check eligibility first

• The site ties the incubator to students and faculty. It does not confirm whether outside founders can join.
• Ask the incubator team directly before you apply if you are not a student or faculty member of Periyar University.

Enrolling

• Use the online registration form linked from the incubator's enrolment page.
• Mentoring registration is listed separately on the mentoring page.

Questions about the incubator

• Write to the BIC@PU team at the incubator's listed email address.

Periyar University Business Incubation Confederation (BIC@PU) is a start-up business incubator hosted inside Periyar University in Salem, Tamil Nadu. It is registered as a Section 8 company and funded by EDII-TN, the Entrepreneurship Development and Innovation Institute of the Tamil Nadu government, and by the Department of Science and Technology's NIDHI i-TBI scheme.

How the incubator is run

BIC@PU is governed by a Board of Governance and run day to day by its Board of Directors and incubation managers. A Project Management and Review Committee from EDII-TN monitors its work. The incubator follows the guidance framework for higher education institutions set out in the Tamil Nadu Startup and Innovation Policy and the National Innovation and Startup Policy 2019.

Its stated aim is converting an idea into a start-up. Its vision also names networking among academia, job creators and job seekers, and expanding industrial symbiosis.

Specialism

BIC@PU specialises in food science and nutrition. It also takes ideas from other domains when the founder is committed to the work.

What it offers

The incubator lists mentoring and business assistance, food testing, food licensing, co-working space, networking links and a training hall for potential entrepreneurs and start-ups. Its food facilities include a food extrusion line, a snack bar unit and a bakery unit. Its mentor pool has 17 external mentors, drawn from academic institutions, established start-ups, start-up communities, industry, consultants, co-incubation centres and farmer producer companies.

Who can apply

The framework the incubator cites is described as being for students and faculty. The site does not say whether founders from outside the university can apply, and it does not state any other eligibility test. Check this with the incubator before you enrol.

How to enrol

Enrolment runs through an online registration form linked from the incubator's enrolment page. A separate registration option is shown on the mentoring page. The site does not state a fee, an equity stake, or a closing date for intake.

Scale

The site gives two sets of figures that do not agree, and neither is dated. The About page says nearly 18 incubatees are supported and that the incubator has created an ecosystem among 4200 beneficiaries. The Milestones page gives 32 incubatees and 7k+ beneficiaries. Read both as approximate. The About page also says four incubatees have graduated into MSME-registered, FSSAI-licensed companies and two into start-ups.

Location and contact

BIC@PU's office is on the Periyar University campus in Salem, near the boys' hostel. The university also runs a separate incubation centre, PU-ITTC, which this page does not cover.