Role Of Atal Incubation Centers In Promoting Entrepreneurship And Innovation Ecosystem

Abstract

Purpose – Today, in the entrepreneurial environment, Atal Incubation Centres are becoming key facilitators of innovation and start-up growth in India. These centres provide systematic support systems such as mentorship, funding support, infrastructure, and legal consultation. This research will explore the actual and anticipated services offered by AICs and their contribution to facilitating the entrepreneurship and innovation culture of Rajasthan.

Design/methodology/approach – The research employed a descriptive and exploratory research design utilizing stratified random sampling in four AICs in Rajasthan. A structured questionnaire was utilized to gather primary data from 176 incubatees. Data analysis was conducted through SPSS and SmartPLS4, using reliability tests, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, regression, ANOVA, and Structural Equation Modeling.

Findings – The evidence shows that services such as legal and research support are consistent with the incubatees' expectations, but there are major gaps in areas of mentorship, infrastructure, and funding support. Management and legal services impacted entrepreneurship promotion the most among all the services, followed by infrastructure, technology support, and funding help. SEM model has the ability to explain 74% of the entrepreneurship promotion variance, which confirms the significance of incubation services to ecosystem development.

Research limitations/implications – The research is geographically confined to the context of Rajasthan and doesn't control for outside variables such as personal entrepreneurial ability or other support systems. Subsequent research could utilize longitudinal and comparative data over several states to increase the generalizability.

Originality/value – The research makes a unique contribution through its empirical investigation of the gap between incubator services promised and delivered and their quantifiable impact on the entrepreneurial ecosystem. The findings offer strategic guidance to policymakers, incubation managers, and stakeholders to maximize incubation models for entrepreneurial sustainable development.