CONVERTING RESEARCH INTO BUSINESS: EXPERIENCE OF USING BUSINESS INCUBATION IN AQUACULTURE

Organisation involved in the research of the aquaculture produces a wide range of outputs viz., knowledge, skill, technology, package of practices, germplasm, diagnostics, gadgets etc. These outputs are either embedded or disembodied in any materials, tacit or explicit in nature. There is a wide gap in knowledge materials available and use by the sector. Two primary reasons are the forms of the knowledge materials available and capacity of the entrepreneurs to absorb them. To bridge the gap between the demand and supply of such knowledge products, incubation centre of ICAR-CIFA has contributed in converting technologies and knowledge to sound business enterprises. The nature of such conversion has been made through the various activities under taken by incubation centre during 2014-2019 and many of the enterprises has been successfully using them for business purposes.  

As outcome of the process, around 45 enterprises are successfully adopting the technologies and generating an business of approximately, 1 million  $ per year. The incubation process was idiosyncratic  but services involved were in the area of (1) technology commercialisation (2) Business plan development, (3) Legal and institutional consultancy, (4) branding and market access, (5) facilitation of access to fund and resources, (7)  Capacity building, (8) network development. Paper provides a detailed analysis of such services to improve adoption of technologies.