Guwahati, July 22: Nagaland University has been selected to host one of four Incubation Centres in the Northeast under a Central government initiative aimed at fostering entrepreneurship across the region. The initiative will provide startup seed grants of up to ₹5 lakh to the 50 highest-performing beneficiaries.
The project, titled “Establish, Develop, and Manage Entrepreneurship Development Centres and Incubation Centres in the Educational Institutes of the Northeast,” is sponsored by the North Eastern Council (NEC) and implemented by the Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship (IIE), Guwahati. The NEC serves as the nodal agency for economic and social development in the eight northeastern states.
The Kohima campus of Nagaland University has been designated as the state’s Incubation Centre. In the first phase, 44 incubatees have been selected for incubation at the university. These include 16 beneficiaries from Arunachal Pradesh, 6 from Assam, 4 from Manipur, and 18 from Nagaland. The onboarding of the selected entrepreneurs will begin in July 2025.
The selection of incubatees was carried out during the 2024–25 financial year through 30 Entrepreneurship Development Centres established under the project. Prospective entrepreneurs underwent a multi-stage evaluation process involving awareness programs, entrepreneurship training, preparation and presentation of detailed project reports (DPRs), and assessment by experts from industry and government bodies. A total of 145 beneficiaries were selected region-wide, with 44 assigned to Nagaland University.
Vice-Chancellor of Nagaland University, Prof. Jagadish K Patnaik, expressed pride in the university’s role in the initiative, calling it a reaffirmation of the institution’s commitment to academic excellence, innovation, and inclusive development. He stated that the initiative would strengthen ties among academia, industry, and government stakeholders.
Dr. Dhrubajyoti Bordoloi, Coordinator of the university’s Entrepreneurship Development Centre and Incubation Centre, stated that the program will include mentorship from industry leaders, along with a series of workshops, bootcamps, ideathons, and hackathons over the next six months. He described the effort as the first of its kind in the region, aiming to nurture entrepreneurial talent even in the most remote parts of the Northeast.
He added that the university has also been working to promote entrepreneurship through awareness camps held in educational institutions and rural communities across the state. As part of its mandate under the project, the university will also integrate entrepreneurship into its curriculum, contribute to research on the regional entrepreneurial ecosystem, and mobilise resources to support aspiring entrepreneurs.
