• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched a space technology incubation centre in Tripura capital Agartala. The incubation centre will be located in the National Institute of Technology, Agartala.

About:

• The Centre was launched at the first edition of ‘Spacetronics’ organised by the India Electronics and Semiconductor Association (IESA). ISRO’s first Space Technology Incubation Centre
• It is the first of six such centres planned nationally to build capacity in new locations. More such space research activities will be splashed in a big way across small cities to tap their talent and include them in the space footprint
• The space agency’s new Capacity Building Programme directorate will invest ₹2 crore. Within the next six months, ISRO plans to set up five more space technology incubation centres at Jalandhar in Punjab, Bhubaneswar in Odisha, Nagpur in Maharashtra, Indore in Madhya Pradesh and Tiruchirapalli in Tamil Nadu.
• The centres will bring out prototypes and innovations for ISRO in electronics, propulsion and others. ISRO will buy the innovations back if we can use them in our programmes.
• It is to incubate start-ups which would build applications, offer services and products which can be used internally and exploit opportunities globally given enough help to scale up. It is put in place policies and framework to ensure that the ecosystem is favourable to more partnerships, access to funds, ease of business, networking in the domestic and international market and more importantly, inculcating this new initiative – ISRO Space Technology Incubation Centre of the NIT, Agartala.
• This facility, with active support from the state government of Tripura and IESA, the Ecosystem Partner, will be a big boost for the process in every sense.
• The state is working to emerge as a prominent place in Indian technology map by nurturing innovation, entrepreneurship and invention.
• This is a kind of process to develop start-ups by ISRO and the government initiative of Transforming India.

Significance:

• ISRO will also provide the necessary mentorship and guidance to individuals and businesses at the incubation centres.
• Those locations to set up incubation centres where there is no space activity happening, but there is a presence of strong academic institutions and industry, so as to spur research and innovations in the country.
• If the prototypes developed by the start-ups along with the industry meet the standards required, ISRO will acquire the technologies and components for use in its future space missions.
• The incubation centre will provide Tripura with an opportunity to steer ahead in the Information Technology (IT) and manufacturing sectors.
• The space agency aims to make use of the brightest minds across the length and breadth of the country.
• With India forced to import over 75 % of its electronics needs, there is a huge opportunity for Indian industry to expand their businesses