09/04/2026
The Tripartite Agreement Signing Ceremony under the BioNEST Co-Incubation Programwas successfully conducted at ICAR-NAARM, Hyderabad, between a-IDEA, ICAR-NAARM; ICAR-IIRR and the selected startup/individual (Ventas Biosolutions LLP and Mrs.Lakshmi VSDS Rudraraju – Individual). The event marked a significant milestone infostering innovation and strengthening collaboration between research institutions and emerging startups in the agri-biotech ecosystem.
The program commenced with a welcome address by Dr. Ranjit Kumar, CEO of a-IDEA and Principal Scientist, ICAR-NAARM, who provided an overview of the BioNEST Incubation Program and its role in nurturing cutting-edge agri-biotech ventures. This was followed by a briefing on the selection process by Dr. Kalyani M. Barbadikar, Senior Scientist, ICAR-IIRR, who highlighted the rigorous evaluation process undertaken to identify promising startups.
Dr. 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 Dr. 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 (Dr. P. Supriya, Scientist),ICAR-IIRR faculty (Dr. D. Sanjeeva Rao, Senior Scientist and Dr. Papa Rao Vaikuntapu,Scientist), and representatives from a-IDEA (Mr. Paritosh Tripathi, COO and Dr. 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 Program.
