Start-up India initiative gets a boost with Plug-in collaborative incubation programme

Mumbai | August 23, 2016 : India’s success story in the Information Technology sector is well documented. Its dominance however, has mostly been in the field of dominance.  But the new initiative of the Department of Science & Technology is set to give an impetus to development of hardware sector.

 

In a bid to make the digital India initiative more successful, the Deparment of Science & Technology, Intel India and the Society for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (SINE) at IIT-Bombay have joined hands to launch the Collaborative Incubation Programme for hardware and systems start-ups.

 

The new program, called Plug-In, aims to address the gaps in the Indian start-up ecosystem that hardware companies face for product development and commercialization. The 1-year incubation will help start-ups to develop their products and assist in go-to-market strategies and their eventual scaling up. The programme has been designed to support hardware and systems-based start-ups in the country through mentoring, training, lab facilities, hardware kits, prototyping, business services and funding.

 

The start-ups would have the option of choosing from a range of ingredient products & technologies that are available from Intel under this incubation program. It could be in the domains such as MedTech, SMART Cities, Automobiles, CleanTech, Industrial IoT, Consumer IoT, and other relevant technology areas.

 

Individuals admitted to the program will have to incorporate a private limited company to avail of funding. Upon enrolment thecompanies will get access to Intel India Maker Lab in Bengaluru & SINE facilities at IIT Bombay.  Hardware & software development kits, reference boards, design collaterals, test & debugging equipment will be provided free-of-cost to all participants.

 

During the year-long programme, start-ups will be supported for six months on-site at SINE, IIT, Bombay or Intel India, Bengaluru. After six months, the start-ups’ solutions will be showcased to investors and industry players.

 

Plug-in will take 15-20 start-ups in the initial phase. The last date for submitting applications is September 25, 2016. Further details at www.plugin.org.in

 

Start-up India is a flagship initiative of the Government of India, intended to build a strong eco-system for nurturing innovation and Start-ups in the country that will drive sustainable economic growth and generate large scale employment opportunities. The Government through this initiative aims to empower Start-ups to grow through innovation and design.  Simplification and handholding, funding support and incentives and industry-academia partnership and incubation are the key focus areas of Start-up India Action Plan. The DST initiative is part of this campaign.