Periyar Technology Business Incubator is a grant in aid project of National Science & Technology Entrepreneurship Development Board of Ministry of Science & Technology, Government of India. Started in the year 2006 with 'Herbal health' as its thrust area, it caters to the region's entrepreneurial needs. It provides mentoring, handholding and all types of support services to those who wish to start with innovative product idea in related fields like agro, bio and food technologies. It is designated as incubator for Women by the department of Science & Technology and it is the only incubator in India to focus business development in herbal products.
Periyar TBI has a full-fledged testing laboratory with equipments to serve all biological and organic sample testing. It has a small formulation unit, common facility centre; tissue culture production unit to support medicinal plants based product development. Governed by a separate board comprising of DST representative, technical experts, bankers, venture capitalist,techno preneurs and academia. Through the entrepreneurship awareness camps and public meetings, Periyar TBI had attracted 16 incubations in four years in herbal / agro / pharma sectors. Apart from the techno-incubations, it has promoted more than 20 women entrepreneurs to start small industries of their choice. Awareness programmes are organised annually in most of the neighbouring colleges and specific programmes for the PMU students like idea contests.
As part of its industrial network services, Periyar TBI has developed a semi-automated cutting machine for areca nuts to reduce the human drudgery. It has also received the Rural Innovation Fund from NABARD to develop a semi automated buffing machine for the Stainless steel vessel manufacturers cluster in Kumbakonam, for which the work is underway. One of its incubatees has won LRAMP award for "best woman entrepreneur -2008" from Vilgro. One incubatee has got patent for his design (weeding and furrowing wheel for paddy intercultural operations). Two companies graduated in last one year. One student aspirant won best innovative award and first prize in group event of the state level EDP organised by TAHDCO, CII and EDI, TN state.
Periyar TBI also serves as nodal and partner institutions to some of the central government agencies. It is the partner institution with National Institute for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (ni-msme) of the Ministry of MSME.
It has the status of Business Incubator with the MoMSME to support entrepreneurial ventures at early stage.
Periyar TBI is a nodal centre for National Innovation Foundation (NIF) established by the Department of Science & Technology, Govt.of India to scout and record grass root innovations.
Periyar TBI is one of the members of iDISC Global Network of Business Incubators and also a member in World Bank supported infoDev's Working Group on Women-Focused Business Incubation. Periyar TBI has a membership in Indian STEPs and Business incubators Association (ISBA) and Asia Pacific Incubator Network (APIN)