New Delhi: The MC² + Ignite Outreach Programme, organised by the Technology Incubation Centre, IIT Guwahati, on the theme “Start-Up Ecosystem in the Northeast Region”, was held at the Dr. Bhupen Hazarika Auditorium, IIT Guwahati today. The programme brought together start-ups, students, entrepreneurs, policymakers, industry leaders and academic institutions to explore pathways for strengthening innovation and entrepreneurship in the region.
Addressing the programme, Chief Minister of Assam, Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma, called for a stronger and more collaborative innovation ecosystem in the Northeast, highlighting the growing potential of entrepreneurship and technology-led innovation to drive economic growth and create new opportunities for the region.
During the programme, the Chief Minister inaugurated the dedicated MC²+ Co-Working Space and Innovation Node at the NRL Centre, Guwahati. The state-of-the-art facility, equipped with more than 50 workstations, 16 cabins, and dedicated rooms for investors and technical consultants, is designed to provide start-ups with the infrastructure, expertise and industry connections needed to accelerate innovation and growth. The facility will serve as an important platform for start-ups in the Northeast, enabling them to connect their indigenous innovations with the requirements, expertise and capabilities of major public-sector enterprises.
Oil India Limited served as the anchor PSU for the programme. The programme was attended by several distinguished leaders, including Dr Ravi Kota IAS Chief Secretary, Government of Assam; Prof. Devendra Jalihal, Director, IIT Guwahati; Prof. Ashok Jhunjhunwala, Institute Professor IIT Madras; Dr Ranjit Rath Chairman & Managing Director, Oil India Limited; Shri Bhaskar Jyoti Phukan, Managing Director, Numaligarh Refinery Limited; Shri Sandeep Maheshwari, CEO MC² Foundation and Dr Jeevan Basavaraj IAS Secretary, Department of Innovation and Startups, Government of Assam.
The event witnessed more than 200 start-ups, over 1,500 registrations and approximately 1,000 students, reflecting the growing interest in the start-up ecosystem among young innovators and entrepreneurs.
MC² Foundation is conceived under the aegis of the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas (MoPNG) to create a dedicated national platform for taking indigenous energy technologies from the laboratory to the field.
Backed by a consortium of Oil & Gas CPSEs (Central Public Sector Enterprises) comprising ONGC, Oil India Limited, Indian Oil Corporation Limited, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited, GAIL and Petronet LNG, MC² has a committed corpus of Rs 455 crore over five years. It is India’s first PSU-backed energy innovation platform and is chaired by Dr. Neeraj Mittal, Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
MC² seeks to bridge the gap between technology innovation and commercial deployment by providing an integrated pathway covering discovery through national Grand Challenges, milestone-linked grant funding, co-development with academic and CPSE research centres, field pilots within live PSU installations, regulatory support through a sector sandbox and a defined procurement pathway into CPSE demand.
