Date:06/08/2005 URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2005/08/06/stories/2005080602810900.htm

Back India keen to learn from European biz incubation experience

Ambar Singh Roy

Kolkata , Aug. 5

INDIA is keen on learning from the business incubation experiences of the UK, Germany and Sweden, to begin with. Six experts from these countries have been invited to share their views with stakeholders in the business incubation arena in India at a five-day workshop currently being held at Tiruchi under the aegis of the Department of Science & Technology (DST).

Talking to Business Line over the telephone from Tiruchi, Mr H.K. Mittal, Advisor & Head of the National Entrepreneurship Board (NEB), DST, said the idea behind the initiative was also to forge linkages and facilitate networking between business incubators in India and the European Union.

Over 100 participants connected with business incubators are taking part in the workshop.

The number of business incubators in India exceeds 80, with around 35 of them being affiliated to the DST.

Mr Mittal said such exchange of experiences and ideas was especially relevant to India on two counts.

First, it would help explore business opportunities in each other's countries.

And second, both nations could learn from each other's experiences.

For example, Finland was a major manufacturing hub of cellular handsets. And India was a big market for cellphones.

"It would, thus, augur well for companies to set up manufacturing facilities in India with knowledge and technology obtained from abroad," Mr Mittal said.

According to him, NEB was focused on nurturing and fostering the growth of technology-based business entrepreneurship through the incubation route. The DST-promoted Entrepreneurship Development Cell (EDC) at Kolkata was testing out a few models in this regard, that could be implemented and replicated.

However, replication would be attempted only after these models show tangible success stories.

According to Mr Arindam Dutta, Advisor of EDC, Kolkata, the time has come to ramp-up efforts aimed at promoting entrepreneurship.

This was especially important in view of the fact that over 15 lakh young people graduate every year and a sizeable number among them can be trained and channelised towards entrepreneurship.

Mr Dutta said EDC Kolkata had put in place four such business models that could be replicated.

These include the anchor company model, the hand-holding model, the student entrepreneur's model and a model that leverages on the entrepreneurial drive of a pool of freshly-motivated and qualified graduates.