HYDERABAD, MARCH 19, 2026: As part of this initiative, the “SIDBI Seed Fund Programme at a-IDEA” has been launched to support startups incubated at a-IDEA. The Association for Innovation Development of Entrepreneurship in Agriculture (a-IDEA), the incubator at ICAR–National Academy of Agricultural Research Management (ICAR-NAARM), has entered into a Collaboration Agreement with the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) to strengthen seed equity support for agri-startups.
The agreement was formally signed on March 19, 2026, by Dr. Gopal Lal, President, a-IDEA & Director, ICAR-NAARM, and Shri Arijit Dutt, General Manager, SIDBI, in the presence of Dr. Ranjit Kumar, CEO, a-IDEA & Principal Scientist, ICAR-NAARM, along with other SIDBI officials.
This collaboration aims to enhance cooperation in providing financial support, mentoring, and enterprise development services to agripreneurs and startups. The programme will offer seed funding assistance to enable startups to effectively scale their business operations.
This partnership marks a significant step toward fostering entrepreneurship and accelerating the growth of agri-based startups through structured financial and institutional support.
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