CHENNAI: Describing the DST-GDC I-NCUBATE initiative as a “national engine for translating potential into progress”, Pramod Shankar, Scientist-D, Department of Science and Technology (DST), GoI, said that the programme empowered Indian researchers to transform cutting-edge ideas into scalable, real-world businesses.

Speaking at a seminar hosted by IIT Madras, Shankar emphasised that India did not lack innovation, but platforms to nurture it.

“By combining mentoring, market discovery, and real-world validation, the programme helps take science from the lab to the lives of people. It is not merely funding we offer, but a committed partnership to build India's deep-tech ecosystem,” he said.

The seminar brought together leaders from academia, industry, and government to review the progress of the I-NCUBATE initiative, launched jointly by DST and the Gopalakrishnan-Deshpande Centre (GDC) at IIT-M in 2024. “The programme, structured as an eight-week bootcamp, has already supported over 40 start-ups from 31 universities across 15 states through its first four cohorts,” a release from IIT-M said.

The seminar also featured a showcase of start-ups, policy insights, and a panel discussion on ‘Building the Deep-Tech Nation: Talent, Technology & Trust’.

V Kamakoti, director, IIT-M said that the institute was fostering deep-core technology. “The goal is to support 1,000 start-ups by 2032. Our ‘One Patent a Day’ mission is already yielding 1.2 patents daily, most rooted in real-world applications,” he noted.

Calling the I-NCUBATE model robust and replicable, CEO Raghuttama Rao said, “We aim to cover 200 start-ups from all states under this programme.”