The three major Council for Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) labs in Hyderabad — CSIR-IICT (Indian Institute of Chemical Technology), CSIR-NGRI (National Geophysical Research Institute), and CSIR-CCMB (Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology) — are collaborating for the first time to host a two-day ‘Startup Conclave Hyderabad 2025’ at the IICT campus on April 22 and 23.
The conclave on the theme “Catalysing innovation, connecting ecosystems” will see the participation of about 75 firms.
Union Minister of State for Science & Technology Jitender Singh will be inaugurating the conclave in the presence of CSIR-Director General Kalaiselvi and other dignitaries. Union Minister of Coal & Mines G. Kishan Reddy will be the chief guest on the concluding day.
The conclave is open to students, industries and budding entrepreneurs as it will not only showcase the emerging technologies ripe for commercial exploitation but also let visitors see for themselves the ongoing research projects underway, informed CSIR-IICT Director D. Srinivas Reddy, CSIR-CCMB Director Vinay Kumar Nandicoori and CSIR-NGRI Director Prakash Kumar, at a press conference here on Wednesday.
Mr. Reddy said the programme is meant to bring science closer to people, bridge the academia-industry link and foster a spirit of entrepreneurship among youngsters. The CSIR labs are ready to support the startups with scientific inputs, infrastructure and pathway towards funding. The institute is also in the process of having its own incubation centre.
Mr. Nandicoori explained the work being done by Atal Incubation Centre (AIC) of CCMB where 170 startups got supported in life sciences. AIC-CCMB CEO N. Madhusudhana Rao stated that the gestation period for startups is about seven years and funding of about ₹350 crore has been secured for the firms incubated at the centre. Mr. Prakash Kumar spoke about the research on earth’s crust, mining precious minerals, quakes and so on.
The conclave will also be having keynote sessions from scientists, panel discussions, technology demonstratons and startup pitch sessions. An exhibition pavilion will highlight the cutting edge technologies from the host labs and startups incubated through them, they added.
Published - April 16, 2025 07:51 pm IST
