Lucknow: Under the leadership of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the Uttar Pradesh government is working to develop the state as the country’s leading startup hub. Under the ‘Start in UP’ policy, the Yogi government has approved seven ultra-modern Centers of Excellence in the state, to which a total of ₹27.18 crore has been released so far. With the support of these centres, innovation, research, technological development and employment generation are gaining new momentum across Uttar Pradesh. Through these Centers of Excellence, hundreds of startups are receiving incubation, while thousands of youth are gaining skill development, new employment opportunities, and a boost to indigenous technology development.
The Centers of Excellence established in the state are focused on future-oriented areas such as blockchain technology, medical electronics and health informatics, artificial intelligence, 5G/6G telecom, additive manufacturing and drone technology. These centers are not only providing technical support to startups but are also playing an important role in making them globally competitive.
IITs and IIMs become engines of innovation
These Centers of Excellence established in Gautam Buddh Nagar, Lucknow, Kanpur Nagar, Saharanpur and Ghaziabad are receiving support from prestigious institutions such as IIT Kanpur, IIT Roorkee, IIM Lucknow, STPI Lucknow and AKGEC Ghaziabad. As a result, startups are gaining access to world-class labs, supercomputing, AI/ML (artificial intelligence/machine learning) platforms, testing facilities, mentorship and strong industry linkages.
Under the Uttar Pradesh government’s startup policy, each Center of Excellence is provisioned to receive grant-in-aid (including capital and operational expenses) of up to a maximum of ₹10 crore over a period of five years from the date of establishment. The government’s clear objective is for these centers to become self-reliant within five years and strengthen the state’s startup ecosystem over the long term.
The Blockchain Technology Center of Excellence established in Gautam Buddh Nagar is being operated by IIM Lucknow EIC in collaboration with Microsoft. This center will incubate 100 startups over the next five years on a 10,000-square-foot ultra-modern campus. Here, startups are being provided high-tech facilities along with seed funding of up to ₹75 lakh, expert mentorship, and access to angel and venture capital networks. Through this initiative, a strong and sustainable blockchain ecosystem is being developed in the state.
The Medical Electronics and Health Informatics (MedTech) Center of Excellence established in Lucknow has been developed with support from STPI Lucknow, SGPGI, the IT and Electronics Department (Uttar Pradesh Government), AIMED, AMTZ and KIHT. Its objective is to promote medical device and health technology startups, reduce dependence on imports, and strengthen the goals of Make in India and Digital India. Startups here are receiving support from technical experts, doctors, mentorship and venture funding.
The 5G/6G Telecom Center of Excellence operated by IIT Kanpur in Kanpur Nagar is promoting research and startup development in next-generation telecommunication technologies. Equipped with state-of-the-art RF labs, AI/ML servers, supercomputing tools and testing facilities, the center is working towards making India a leader in global telecom innovation.
In the same sequence, the AI and Innovation-based Entrepreneurship (AIIDE) Center of Excellence established in Gautam Buddh Nagar (Noida) is being operated with support from IIT Kanpur and FICCI, where 50 AI-based startups are getting opportunities for training, mentorship and investment connect every year.
The 5G/6G Ubiquitous Wireless Communication Center of Excellence operated by IIT Roorkee in Saharanpur is working in line with the 6G vision. Meanwhile, the Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence established by AKGEC in Ghaziabad is preparing MSMEs and startups for global competition through state-of-the-art 3D printing and digital manufacturing technologies.
The UAV Design, Training and Capacity Building Center of Excellence operated by IIT Kanpur in Kanpur Nagar is providing technical assistance, testing, design validation and consultancy to startups in the field of drone technology. Through a DGCA-approved flight testing zone and advanced labs, this center is advancing towards making Uttar Pradesh a major hub for drone technology.
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