On 23rd January 2026, Mr. Vivek Sharma, IRS, Managing Director (MD), FDDI, visited the Atal Incubation Centre (AIC) at Birla Institute of Management Technology (BIMTECH), Greater Noida, as the Chief Guest at the Valedictory Ceremony of a one-week Capacity Building Program organized by AIC BIMTECH.
The program was organized for a delegation from the Department of Employment and Entrepreneurship, Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Employment, Royal Government of Bhutan.
Delivering the keynote address, Mr. Vivek Sharma, IRS, MD, FDDI emphasized the critical role of innovation-driven entrepreneurship, structured incubation support, and strong industry–academia collaboration in building sustainable startup ecosystems. He highlighted the importance of capacity building, skill development, and design-led interventions in creating globally competitive and market-ready enterprises.
The engagement focused on fostering institutional and policy-level understanding of innovation ecosystems, incubation models, acceleration frameworks, and startup ecosystem development. Representing FDDI, Mr. Prashant Saxena, Head – Business Development, Head Office, participated in the discussions. From AIC BIMTECH, the interaction was led by Mr. Arvind Vernedranath Shikla, Trustee; Mr. Surya Kant, Chief Executive Officer; Ms. Shalini Singh, Chairperson – CIED; and Ms. Kawarpreet, Project Manager.
During the interaction, potential areas of collaboration were explored in innovation-led entrepreneurship, incubation support systems, and structured industry–academia engagement. Both institutions deliberated on jointly supporting startups, facilitating technology commercialization, and developing scalable, market-ready solutions aligned with national and international priorities.
The visit underscored strong synergy between FDDI’s strengths in design, skill development, testing, and industry consultancy, and AIC BIMTECH’s incubation and startup enablement capabilities. The engagement marks a forward-looking step toward strengthening innovation-driven growth and entrepreneurial capacity building.
