Central University of Punjab celebrates National Startup Day with Zeal, unveils CUPRDF Incubator

Bathinda January 17, 2024: The Central University of Punjab marked National Startup Day with exuberant celebrations, inaugurating its incubator CUPRDF to fortify India’s startup ecosystem. The Central University of Punjab Research and Development Foundation (CUPRDF), a DST-NIDHI Technology Business Incubator at CU Punjab, in collaboration with Punjab State Council for Science and Technology (PSCST) organized Tech Startup Connect and Grow Workshop to commemorate this occasion. This event aimed to foster innovation, entrepreneurship, and provide a platform for women-led startups.

The Chief Guest and the Guest of Honor of this programme were Dr. Shirshendu Mukherjee, Mission Director, Programme Management Unit, BIRAC-DBT, GoI and Dr Dapinder Bakshi, Joint Director PSCST respectively. This workshop witnessed participation of over 200 plus students and faculty members.

Prof. Anjana Munshi, Project Director, CUPRDF, welcomed attendees and emphasized the significance of the inaugural event of university’s incubator CUPRDF. She expressed hope that this incubator would contribute in nurturing entrepreneurial talent. Dr. Akshay Nag, CEO, CUPRDF, provides an overview of the workshop's theme, outlining how this incubator would offer comprehensive support to the budding entrepreneurs in the early stage of their venture.

Addressing the session as the Chief Guest, Dr. Shirshendu Mukherjee, Mission Director of PMU BIRAC highlighted the role of DBT - BIRAC for creating a vibrant ecosystem in the Biopharma sector. He emphasized the critical role that incubators like CUPRDF could play in nurturing innovation and supporting risk-taking among emerging leaders in biotechnology.

The Guest of Honor Dr Dapinder Bakshi, Joint Director PSCST, stressed on the pivotal role of entrepreneurship and innovation in ensuring economic growth and inclusive development. She discussed Startup Handholding and Empowerment (SHE) Scheme launched by PSCST to promote women entrepreneurship and urged budding female entrepreneurs to register their innovative ideas.

Experts from different sectors shared insights during this workshop. In the forenoon session, Amulya Shukla, Leadership Coach & Strategic Business Management Consultant, delivered a motivational talk stressing on the importance of Power of Listening and Entrepreneurship. Later in the day, Dr. Gowri Jayamurugan, Founder, Gowriz Skincare Pvt. Limited, narrated her entrepreneurial journey and the obstacles faced during ideating. 

In his presidential address, Prof. Raghavendra P. Tiwari, the Vice-Chancellor, emphasized the need to Break our colonial mindset which has resulted in drop down of India’s contribution to the World GDP from 27% in 1700 to 3-4% in 1950 (a report as per British Economist, Angus Maddison). Prof. Tiwari underlined that we need to understand our real potential and work hard collaboratively to actualize the Hon’ble PM vision of Viksit Bharat@2047. He underscored the workshop significance in providing budding entrepreneurs with the insights into the role of business incubators and transforming innovative ideas into transforming businesses.

Towards the end, Prof. Monisha Dhiman, Director, IQAC, thanked everyone for making this programme a success.