HYDERABAD, APRIL 08, 2026: The Tripartite Agreement Signing Ceremony under the BioNEST Co-Incubation Program was successfully conducted at NAARM, Hyderabad, between a-IDEA, ICAR-NAARM (ICAR-National Academy of Agricultural Research Management,), ICAR-Indian Institute of Rice Research (IIRR) and the selected startup/individual (Ventas Biosolutions LLP and Mrs Lakshmi VSDS Rudraraju – Individual). The event marked a significant milestone in fostering innovation and strengthening, collaboration between research institutions and emerging startups in the agri-biotech ecosystem.
The programme commenced with a welcome address by Ranjit Kumar, CEO of a-IDEA and Principal Scientist, ICAR-NAARM, who provided an overview of the BioNEST Incubation Programme and its role in nurturing cutting-edge agri-biotech ventures. This was followed by a briefing on the selection process by Kalyani M. Barbadikar, Senior Scientist, ICAR-IIRR, who highlighted the rigorous evaluation process undertaken to identify promising startups.
Mr Gopal Lal, Director of ICAR-NAARM and President of a-IDEA, addressed the gathering and emphasized the importance of innovation-driven entrepreneurship and institutional support in accelerating the agri-startup ecosystem. Further R Meenakshi Sundaram, Director, ICAR-IIRR underscored the critical role of research-backed incubation in driving sustainable agricultural advancements. Later, the founding teams and incubates briefed about their ideas and technologies to be developed in collaboration with ICAR-IIRR & a-IDEA.
The ceremony was held in the presence of ICAR-NAARM faculty (P. Supriya, Scientist), ICAR-IIRR faculty (D. Sanjeeva Rao, Senior Scientist and Papa Rao Vaikuntapu, Scientist), and representatives from a-IDEA (Mr. Paritosh Tripathi, COO and Subin Thomas, Project Manager).The ceremony reflects the continued commitment of a-IDEA, ICAR-NAARM, in collaboration with ICAR-IIRR, to promote innovation, support startups, and strengthen India’s agri-biotech ecosystem through impactful initiatives like the BioNEST Co-Incubation Programme.
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