Incubation centre set up at Rs 2 crore becomes functional

SURAT: The much-awaited Surat incubation centre, which started to function in the city from January 31, is one of its kind project to promote innovation, incubation, startups and trade facilitation under the Smart Cities Mission.

Set up at a cost of Rs2 crore at SEPC Building in Udhna, it has seating space for 100 startup entrepreneurs, three conference rooms, a seminar room, a workshop and meeting space.

CY Bhatt, deputy commissioner, Surat Municipal Corporation, said, "Our incubation and trade felicitation centre has started to help people expand their business and new startups to run their businesses efficiently. This is first of its kind project in the country, which has been set up under Smart Cities Mission. Surat is one of the top cities when it comes to implementing smart city projects."

AIC SURATiiLAB has been set up as a special purpose vehicle, a non-profit organization. It has 18 partners, including banks, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Institute of Technology, Auro University and SETU Foundation. The incubation centre will not only help diamonds and textiles startups, but also new economy enterprises.

"The project aims at promoting local innovations to build the brand Surat. It also aims to provide visibility and opportunities for the products made in Surat," municipal commissioner M Thennarasan said.

Phase two of the project would see construction of an iconic building at a cost of Rs16 crore at Parvat Patiya. AIC SURATiiLAB would be a single window facility for city entrepreneurship and industrial ecosystem. Startups could hope for all possible assistance, the municipal commissioner added.