BHU TO SET UP BIONEST BIOINCUBATOR

BHU TO SET UP BIONEST BIOINCUBATOR

Varanasi: The Banaras Hindu University is all set to play a key role in promoting and invigorating entrepreneurship and start-ups in the areas of life sciences, biotechnology, healthcare, agritech, food technology and allied areas. The varsity has geared up to set up its BioNEST (Bioincubator for Nurturing Entrepreneurship for Scaling Technologies) facility, which will provide the much needed support to start ups in these areas.

According to the director of the Institute of Science, Prof. Anil K. Tripathi, the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), a public sector enterprise of Department of Biotechnology, Government of India has sanctioned Rs 6 crore to InnoResTech Foundation, BHU for starting a BioNEST facility. The InnoResTech Foundation, BHU, is a not-for profit company created under the aegis of the Institute of Science, BHU, to promote science based innovations in technologies to empower academia, entrepreneurs and industry. The BIRAC has released Rs 3 crores as the first grant to start the program, which will be operated in the building of Central Discovery Centre (CDC), BHU.

BHU TO SET UP BIONEST BIOINCUBATOR

Under the program, BioNEST-BHU will create space and facilitates to incubate 15 incubatees and provide them the opportunity and environment to pursue their translational ideas with commercialization potential towards successful outcomes. Availability of Atal Incubation Centre and an upcoming DST-SATHI program in the CDC building are expected to create an ecosystem to nurture start-ups in realization of their goal of self-employment through entrepreneurship, which is also one of the main objectives of the recently announced New Education Policy 2020.

BHU-BioNEST will groom young incubatees and faculty members who wish to see their science and technology based efforts reaching to the society. It will organize awareness programs and connect start-ups with the inventors/ developers of the technologies ready for transfer with the industry as well as hospitals to provide initial hand-holding / mentorship to the start-ups. It will also create a single window advisory for entrepreneurs and start-ups about equipment facility, technology and expert portfolio of BHU, and schemes of the Government of India to support start-ups.