Food & BioVenture: Entrepreneurship in Biochemistry, Food Science & Nutrition Food & Nutrition Institutions Innovation Council 1-10-2026
The Food & BioVenture programme was organised as an interdisciplinary entrepreneurship initiative to encourage students to explore the potential of transforming scientific knowledge, research findings, and innovative ideas into viable business ventures. The programme was initiated by Event Coordinator Dr. Sreerupa Sarkar, who introduced the theme and highlighted the role of the Institution’s Innovation Council (IIC) in fostering innovation, entrepreneurship, intellectual property awareness, and startup culture. Dr. Laavanya Das, Head of the Department of Food & Nutrition, felicitated the invited speaker, Dr. Debanjan Dutta, Divisional Head, Agrivet Life Sciences and Founder & CEO, Labcritters Research and Consultancy. Dr. Dutta delivered an expert lecture on entrepreneurship and startup development, covering idea generation and validation, product development, market assessment, business planning, intellectual property, regulatory requirements, funding, incubation, and commercialisation. He also highlighted emerging opportunities in functional foods, nutraceuticals, probiotics, food biotechnology, sustainable food processing, and value-added food products.
The programme provided students with practical insights into research-driven innovation and the key stages of establishing a startup. It encouraged entrepreneurial thinking, problem-solving, and the exploration of food science, nutrition, biotechnology, and life sciences as potential avenues for innovation and business development. The session also reinforced the objectives of the IIC by promoting startup awareness and an innovation-oriented mindset among students. Furthermore, the initiative supported SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) through entrepreneurship promotion, SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure) through research-based innovation, and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) through an emphasis on sustainable food processing and responsible production practices.
