Dehradun, July 2025 ā The University of Petroleum & Energy Studies (UPES) in Dehradun is rapidly evolving into a startup university, blending academia, research, and entrepreneurship through a powerful ecosystem of incubators, accelerators, and innovation hubs.
š¢ UCIE & Runway Incubator: Startup Engines
UPES launched the Council for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (UCIE) to support students, faculty, alumni, and local innovators. UCIE operates the flagship Runway Incubatorāa technology-focused startup platform that nurtures early-stage ventures:
- Over 250 startups across AI/ML, agritech, biotech, fintech, EdTech, sustainability, and more have been supported .
- Backed with more than ā¹20 crore funding, and a ā¹5 crore DST-NIDHI iTBI grant to establish deep-tech incubation infrastructure.
- Runway 4.0 cohort pre-incubation welcomed 100 startups, while a ā¹4.9 crore DST-iTBI grant enabled seed grants, labs, co-working facilities, and 3D/AI/ML setups .
- A planned ā¹30 crore accelerator fund aims to support matured ventures with investments ranging from ā¹25ā75 lakh per startup.
š¤ Strategic Partnerships & Research Hubs
- Collaborations such as an MoU with IIT Roparās iHUBāAWaDH are establishing joint innovation labs in agri-tech, water tech, and Cyber-Physical Systems in Dehradun.
- The Centre of Excellence for AI launched in April 2025āwith a ā¹50 crore investment and NVIDIA DGX systemsāfuels research-to-industry pipelines across AI domains.
- Existing efforts under RISE, IoT, Cybersecurity, and AR/VR CoEs further enrich UPESās innovation infrastructure.
š” Impact & Vision
| Metric | Achieved/Aspirational |
|---|---|
| Startups Incubated | 100+ per cohort, 250+ total |
| Funding Raised | ā¹20 crore+ |
| Grants | ā¹5āÆcr (2022), ā¹4.9āÆcr (2024) |
| Accelerator Capital | ā¹30āÆcr fund in development |
| CoE Investment | ā¹50 crore for AI infrastructure |
| Partnerships | IIT Ropar, DST, NVIDIA, Runway, UCIE |
UPES aims to become a full-fledged startup university, not just a job-creating institution. The focus is on transforming students into job creators, steering ideas into businesses and research into commercial applications.
š± Real Outcomes & Success Stories
- Cognecto (mining AI) and PensionBox (digital pension platform) have secured ā¹2ā4 crore funding, emerging from UPES roots.
- Grants of ā¹1 lakh to 37 ventures, plus winners like ekatra (ā¹2.5 lakh) and INVIU Systems (ā¹1.5 lakh) from the “Take Off” startup challenge.
š Why It Matters
- Education meets enterprise: Students enjoy hands-on innovation through real VC-backed startups.
- Regional tech uplift: Uplifts Dehradun and Uttarakhand with deep-tech infrastructure.
- National startup leadership: With DST support and cutting-edge facilities, UPES is defining a blueprint for private-sector innovation in India.
UPESās ecosystemāfrom UCIE and Runway to high-powered labsādemonstrates a strategic university journey: equipping learners for careers in creation, not consumption.
