The first-of-its-kind Electropreneur Park to support startups in electronic design and manufacturing has been set at Delhi University and will become functional from next month. The said incubator has been set up in the varsity’s South Campus by a consortium comprising Software Technology Parks of India (STPI), under Union Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, and India Electronics & Semiconductor Association (IESA) with an investment of Rs21 crore.
“We have signed the MoU with STPI, and IESA has also been involved in the project. The park has been set up on DU campus and our students will be the beneficiaries. The funding has been provided by Government through STPI,” DU Registrar Tarun Das said.
He said there was a distinct disconnect between developments in the industry and programmes in academic institutions. “The park has been set up to bridge this gap and provide an entrepreneurial platform to students,” he added.
“We have been seeking STPI’s help in the past as well for functioning of computer centres in DU, installation of software and hardware. Both our campuses are WiFi hotspots and we had roped in STPI for facilitating that too,” Das said.
While the IESA is the implementation agency for the project, it has also roped in CyberMedia (India) Online limited (CIOl) to support it in execution of the project. With STPI providing funding and management of the incubation centre and DU the infrastructure, knowledge experts and incubatees, IESA and CIOl shall provide industry connect, mentoring, technical know-how, promotion and outreach, in addition to venture capital access for the incubatees.
The park, which is first-of-its-kind to be established in the country, has infrastructural facilities, including world-class testing systems and measuring equipment, will become functional next month. A model of the park was also set up at the university’s ongoing cultural and academic festival Antardhvani.
“The incubation park aims at providing budding entrepreneurs with tools that are generally very expensive. The Centre will not only provide the infrastructure but enable access to domain experts, mentors, shared consultants and services. It will also help innovators seek funding from foreign investors, venture capitalists and angel investors,” said Dr Sanjeev Singh, member of the Projects Monitoring Committee.
“At the park, we aim to set up 50 enterprises in five years. We will invite ideas from young entrepreneurs and a panel of experts from industry and academia. Ten ideas every year will be nurtured,” he said.