The Indian Council of Agricultural Research under the National Agricultural Innovation Project scheme has setup a Zonal Technology Management and Business Planning & Development (BPD) unit at CIRCOT, Mumbai. BPD is considered as an effective way for fostering the growth of sustainable business endeavor and is expected to provide a gamut of services ranging from incubation facilities such as office space, access to information and communication technologies, advice on management, marketing, technical, legal, IPR and financial issues. The BPD Units are also expected to promote entrepreneurial attitude and raise awareness about the opportunities that the entrepreneurship can bring into the local business environment. These units are intended to develop an institutional system to organize and promote the sharing of information among MSME.

ZTM-BPD-CIRCOT’s focus is to create technology-oriented commercially successful business ventures. Initially ZTM-BPD-CIRCOT will be concentrating on technologies available with CIRCOT and other ICAR Institutes in the western zone. In the near future, ZTM-BPD-CIRCOT will also assist the incubatee’s in creating entrepreneurship based on his own idea.

Early stage advice to entrepreneurs/incubates will be offered as a free service. When ZTM-BPD-CIRCOT is satisfied with the incubate, the promoter will enter into an agreement with ZTM-BPD-CIRCOT for availing its services on mutually agreed terms and conditions. The incubated would benefit from the lower cost of resources in the early stage. The form of compensation and the payment mode would be tailored to specific needs and based on individual case.

Goals & Objectives:

• To nurture technology & knowledge based enterprises in the area of post harvest management of cotton and its by-products initially & followed by other crops for sustainable business growth and stimulating entrepreneurship.
• To accelerate technology development and utilization between ZTM-BPD-CIRCOT and entrepreneurs for commercialization of Zonal agri-business technologies.
• To provide services on marketing assistance, quality evaluation, research and development for business development and help small entrepreneurs for setting up textile testing facility.
• Networking with relevant R&D, academic & business development institutes.
• Creating awareness and interest about BPD unit.
• To enhance marketing potential of the existing testing and consultancy services of CIRCOT and other Zonal institutes.
• To canvass cotton stalk as an alternate raw material to timber in particle board & related industry.
• To promote grading of cotton at village level through the use of mobile laboratories.
• To provide specialized services to the SME’s in textile and other sectors in the Zone.
• To provide "services to set up Quality Management System" as per NABL norms and training of personnel.