Chief Minister of Gujarat Bhupendra Patel presided over the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signing between the International Centre for Entrepreneurship and Technology (iCreate) and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) to harness India’s tech strength. Dr Rahul Gupta, IAS, Industries Commissioner, Government of Gujarat, and Dr Rajiv Kumar Gupta, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary, Industries and Mines Department and Chairman, iCreate, were amongst the dignitaries present. CSIR and iCreate plan to establish a collaborative support system for promising tech start-ups by making combined resources available for entrepreneurs and innovators in India under the MoU. The collaboration will also catalyse the marketability and scientific innovation of high-tech start-ups. Additionally, iCreate will help install new incubators at identified CSIR labs. Such start-ups will access CSIR’s facilities, equipment, and scientific manpower. CSIR will provide intellectual property support and investigate methods of financially supporting innovative start-ups from India to promote emerging entrepreneurs. iCreate will also leverage its deep industry connections and market linkages to determine real needs that can be managed through scientific innovation by CSIR scientists, thus directing to faster commercialisation of the innovations coming out of CSIR. CEO of iCreate Anupam Jalote said that this is a very powerful partnership that is being forged – CSIR Labs are globally recognised, and their scientific and technical mettle is world-class. iCreate is nimble and market connected, and these two traits synergise very well, and the company is confident that it will contribute to helping convert India into a global knowledge-driven economy. Budding entrepreneurs may also have CSIR scientists onboarded as mentors for iCreate based on their R&D area of expertise and technical knowledge understanding. Dr. Shekhar C Mande, Director General, CSIR, said that the company is proud to associate with iCreate to establish a collaborative environment where the translation of knowledge to value is accelerated. It is another step ahead in CSIR’s efforts to promote research and innovation across the country while also enabling the valuable exchange of knowledge, ideas, and expertise. The coming together of iCreate and CSIR is likely to open new opportunities for start-ups as a result of new synergies among numerous stakeholders. Since its establishment in 2012, iCreate has enabled a significant number of start-ups across sectors to grow and scale rapidly. With the CSIR partnership, iCreate expects to gain further momentum in helping India’s robust innovative start-up ecosystem. Image SourceAlso read: MSMEs urge UP govt to assist with oxygen tech transfer from CSIR