The central government intends to set up 50 incubation centres for the manufacturing sector. One such centre has already been established at the National Council for Cement and Building Materials (NCB) in partnership with tech startups.

An incubation centre is a space to enable new-age entrepreneurs transform their innovative ideas into viable businesses. The NCB incubation centre has been set up because the cement sector is very important, official sources told Bizz Buzz, adding that good health of the sector is a must for the growth and development of the country.

Five startups - viz., LivNSense Technologies, Autoabode, AltSF, Onelement, and Bio - worked with the NCB for setting up the incubation centre. They are working in the areas of application of artificial intelligence (AI) for increasing the percentage of alternative fuels, pre-combustion technology, 3-D printing technology, carbon capture and utilization, etc.

At NCB incubation centre, the incubatee startups and entrepreneurs will be mentored by the NCB scientists and experts from the cement and building materials industry for further improvisation and development of market-ready products for commercialization. The incubatee startups and entrepreneurs will have support of advanced laboratories at NCB to carry out the development work.

The NCB is an apex research and development organization under the administrative control of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce & Industry. It is dedicated to research, technology development & transfer, education & industrial services for cement, allied building materials & construction industries.

India is the second-largest cement producer in the world and accounts for over eight per cent of the global installed capacity. Of the total capacity, 98 per cent lies with the private sector. The top-20 companies account for around 70 per cent of the total cement production in India. As India has a high quantity and quality of limestone deposits throughout the country, the cement industry promises huge potential for growth, an official website says.