DPIIT, HCLSoftware Team Up To Drive Manufacturing Incubation Initiative

Amid the Centre’s push to boost domestic manufacturing capabilities, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has announced a strategic partnership with software solutions provider HCLSoftware to drive its manufacturing incubation initiative. 

It said that the collaboration will contribute to the realisation of the ‘Make In India’ initiative and position India as a global manufacturing hub.

Under the partnership, Indian startups will have an access to HCL Sync programme that can help them get global market exposure for their products and services. Further, HCLSoftware will help support startups across multiple functions including design, development to sales and marketing. 

“This initiative’s objectives include developing Indian intellectual property by encouraging startups to create unique products and solutions tailored to India… and building a robust manufacturing ecosystem by establishing a network of interconnected startups and suppliers capable of supporting the full manufacturing value chain,” the government said.

HCLSoftware announced the launch of the startup cohort programme HCL Startup Sync earlier in April. The accelerator programme is an 18-week, retail specific cohort specifically dedicated to SaaS startups across the globe. It invited Series A/B/C startups with SaaS-based solutions in areas such as AI and intelligent automation, data and analytics, digital transformation and enterprise security.

This is the second such partnership announcement made by the DPIIT this month. Earlier in October, it signed a MoU with Johnson Controls-Hitachi Air Conditioning India for establishing a startup incubator in Gujarat. The incubator will offer funding support and provide legal and intellectual property (IP) filing assistance to enable startups to market their products.

The union government has been a proponent of pushing for India’s manufacturing capabilities. During the announcement of the financial budget 2024-25, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that it is at the top in the central government’s list of priorities. 

Besides, the government announced a host of measures to promote manufacturing back then. These included a reduction in basic customs duty for inputs and raw material and incentivising job-creation in the sector.