A five-day Faculty Development Programme (FDP) on Entrepreneurship organized by the Entrepreneurship Development Centre (EDC) Dibrugarh University ended February 23, 2024. The FDP was inaugurated by Prof. Dipak Chetia, Dean, Research and Development, Dibrugarh University on February 19, 2024. A total of 15 participants – nine teachers from Dibrugarh University, three teachers from three different colleges of Dibrugarh town and three entrepreneurs attended the FDP. The EDC has been established under the project, “Establish, Develop and Manage Entrepreneurship Development Centre (EDC) and Incubation Centre (IC) in the Educational Institutes of North Eastern Region” which is funded by North Eastern Council (NEC) and implemented by the Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship (IIE), Guwahati. It is to be mentioned that 30 EDCs have been set up over the entire north-east India including Sikkim. Also, four ICs have been established.
The aim of the FDP was to create a pool of mentors to scout and motivate prospective entrepreneurs. Resource persons were drawn from various backgrounds – Prof. Pratim Barua, Dr. Bipasha Chetiya Barua, Dr. Aradhana Borthakur, Dr. Abhijit Boruah and Dr.Gunadeep Chetia from Dibrugarh University; Dr. Prakrit Saikia from The Assam Kaziranga University; Mr. Anshuman Bordoloi from State Bank of India; Mr. Arunav Banikya and Mr. Rajdeep Thakur from DICC, Dibrugarh; and Mr. Pramesh Agarwal, Chartered Accountant. Three entrepreneurs namely Dr. Amrita Kashyap Chaliha from Chroma Biotech, Mr. Diganta Saikia from Manxho and Ms. Noopur Keshan from Asama were invited to interact with the participants over the course of the FDP. The Centre Head of the EDC, Dibrugarh University, Dr. Himadri Barman and the Deputy Centre Head, Dr. Nayan Medhi also took sessions with the participants.
In the next phase of training, three Entrepreneurship Awareness Camps (EACs) and an Entrepreneurship Development Programme (EAP) will be held. Participants for the EAP will be selected from the participants who attend theEACs. Shortlisted participants from 30 EDPs (one organised by each of the EDCs) will be sent to the ICs from where 50 Startups will be incubated. They will be given seed money of five lakhs rupees each.
