Government of Meghalaya
Sectors
Building the entrepreneurial ecosystem inside Meghalaya's colleges and universities — through E-Cells, funding and the programmes that turn student ideas into ventures.
The EPDP Scheme
PRIME, with an aim to promote entrepreneurship as a viable career option, launched an Entrepreneurship Promotion and Development (EPDP) Scheme to strengthen the entrepreneurial ecosystem within academic institutions across Meghalaya. Under this initiative, colleges and universities are provided financial assistance of up to ₹30 lakhs to establish Entrepreneurship Development Cells (E-Cells) and undertake entrepreneurship-related activities.
PRIME supports institutions in setting up E-Cells by providing funding assistance for up to ₹10 lakhs per tranche for up to 3 tranches. The support enables institutions to procure essential machinery, tools, equipment and conducting programs required for students to design, develop, and test innovative prototypes.
Institutional Support
Per Institution
Up to ₹30 lakhs
Financial assistance to colleges and universities to establish an Entrepreneurship Development Cell (E-Cell) and undertake entrepreneurship-related activities on campus.
Available to academic institutions across Meghalaya.
Per Tranche
Up to ₹10 lakhs
Funding assistance is released in tranches of up to ₹10 lakhs, for up to 3 tranches — so an institution can build its E-Cell in stages rather than all at once.
Up to 3 tranches per institution.
Essential machinery, tools and equipment so students can design, develop and test their ideas on campus.
Support for conducting the programmes an E-Cell needs to run — from awareness sessions to hands-on build weekends.
A working environment where student teams can move an idea from a sketch to a testable prototype.
On Campus
Through these initiatives, the E-Cell along with PRIME organized various activities such as Ideathons, workshops, awareness programmes and exposure visits to foster innovation and problem-solving skills, and to encourage students to think creatively and develop entrepreneurial solutions to real-world challenges.
Students work against real problem statements provided by PRIME, developing solutions to challenges drawn from the ground.
Structured, practical sessions that build the skills a student needs to take an idea further than the classroom.
Campus programmes that put entrepreneurship in front of students as a career they can actually choose.
Visits to working entrepreneurs and industries, so students see how an enterprise runs before they build one.
Placements that give students real working experience inside an enterprise.
Key Highlights
Supporting E-Cells across 24 colleges under PRIME MBMA
Promoting entrepreneurship as a preferred career choice among students
Encouraging innovation through structured programmes and activities
Providing problem statements for solution development during Ideathons
Strengthening incubation and entrepreneurship support systems in academic institutions
Internships
Exposure visits to entrepreneurs and industries
For Students
Students and student teams with an innovative business or research idea can access up to ₹50,000 in seed funding, on the recommendation of the E-Cell at a PRIME-supported institute.
