The outreach strategy of ABI is to partner with Institutes /organizations globally on Co-Business Incubation to promote these ventures and enhance technology commercialization.

“Co-business incubation is a platform that two or more incubator shares on mutually similar programs based on each other’s competence for joint execution of incubation activities for achieving enhanced impact and client servicing”

ABI-ICRISAT has been serving its clients in its core areas of competence and seeking institutional partnership for scaling up ABI-ICRISAT’s incubation through Co-business incubation. The benefits of the co-business incubation through institutional partners are;

• Enhanced support and services to more number of entrepreneurs
• Complementing technology and business in their respective domains
• Access to physical, technical and other facilities for clients on co-business incubation basis
• Inclusive growth through focused implementation of new venture creation and technology commercialization
• Enhanced benefits to the incubatees through technical and market access
• Promotion of cross border ventures and business development
• Common branding gives better marketability of the programs

ABI-ICRISAT Co-business incubation services to the institutional partners

• Planning, development and implementation of business incubator
• Facilitating Coordination and operations
• Capacity building and training on business incubation operations
• Business consultancy support services
• Access to seed capital funding to TDB for the entrepreneurs
• Development and implementation of incubation service modules like Seed Ventures, Agri Biotech Ventures, Innovative Ventures, Farm ventures and Biofuel ventures etc.
• Business Facilitation support and co-branding with ABI-ICRISAT.
• Making the system Successful & self-sustainable through monitoring & evaluation.

 
Co-Business Incubation partners

Some of ABI’s key Co-Business incubation partners are:

Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)
Tamil Nadu Agricultural University is a leading agro-technology provider of India and its graduates are recognized throughout the world. Though the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University came into being on June 1, 1971, earlier it was an agricultural school as early as 1868 which was later relocated at Coimbatore during 1906. The University is offering Twelve Undergraduate Degree Programs and Twenty nine Postgraduate Degree Programs in 10 Colleges distributed in seven campuses all over Tamil Nadu. Besides, the university has 34 Research Stations for agro-technology development. Directorate of Agribusiness Development (DAD) at TNAU has been established to create and promote agribusiness opportunities among agri-entrepreneurs and other stakeholders by establishing network among them.

STEP, Thapar University, Patiala, India
The Agri-Business Incubator (ABI-ICRISAT) partners with Science & Technology Entrepreneurs Park (STEP), Thapar University, Patiala for setting up of co-business incubation. The partnership is intended to promote Agri-Business Ventures in Punjab, North India by leveraging mutual area of competence of both the institutes. ABI-ICRISAT shall leverage its experience on business incubation in creating successful agri-business ventures and ICRISAT’s cutting-edge technologies. The STEP, Thapar University is a leading technology university in Punjab, North India which has a good basic infrastructure technology and faculty. Besides it is located in the food bowl of India and has high net worth entrepreneurs. The NSTEDB, Dept. of Science & Technology, Govt. of India has financially supported ABI for facilitating STEP on priority areas of Agri-business ventures through co-business incubation in North India.

Institute of International Agriculture, Mozambique (IIAM)
IIAM is a premier agricultural research institute of Mozambique government. It has research and development in the areas of agriculture, animal husbandry, fishery and forestry. IIAM has research centres across the country and there are around 2000 staffs working.

Agricultural Research and Extension Unit (AREU), Mauritius
AREU arose out of DARE (Directorate of Agricultural Research and Extension) which was established in 1994 within the Ministry of Agriculture to facilitate Government’s goals of improving the productivity of the farming community and diversifying the production base. Since July 1995 the AREU has functioned within the Food and Agricultural Research Council (FARC), a parastatal organization operating under the aegis of the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources. The AREU’s management team comprises the Director (who is also the Accounting Officer) supported presently by three Assistant Directors in the departments of Crop Research, Livestock Research, Extension and Training. AREU has research centre, facilities and staffs across the country.

Network of Indian Agri-Business Incubators – NIABI
The NAIP of ICAR has set up 22 Business Planning and Development (BPD) units, in its Research Institutes and State Agriculture Universities (SAU’s) through a World Bank aided project of NAIP. BPD’s are essentially business incubation drivers designed for agricultural sector to promote ‘agripreneurs’ with the help of vast R&D facilities and knowledge of ICAR. All the 22 BPD units and the ABI-ICRISAT, have joined hands to form a Network of Indian Agri- Business Incubators (NIABI).