On the occasion of National Farmers Day, ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (ICAR-CIFT), Kochi, officially launched SHITIJ 2.0 – The Blue Horizon Cohort, a two-month virtual incubation programme aimed at empowering aqua-innovators and building sustainable aquapreneurs in the fisheries sector. The programme is being implemented by the Zonal Technology Management – Agribusiness Incubation (ZTM-ABI) Centre, as an initiative under the NAIF–ICAR Network.

The programme was officially launched by Dr. J.K. Jena, Deputy Director General, Fisheries Science, ICAR, in the presence of Dr. George Ninan, Director, ICAR-CIFT, and Dr. Neeru Bhooshan, Assistant Director General, IP&TM Unit, ICAR.

ICAR-CIFT, Kochi will function as the Hub-ABIC Institute, with ICAR fisheries institutes including ICAR-CIBA, ICAR-CIFA, ICAR-CIFE, ICAR-CICFR, ICAR-CMFRI, ICAR-CIFRI and ICAR-NBFGR as part of the spoke network, thereby enabling wider technical and institutional support for the selected innovators.

With the launch of SHITIJ 2.0, ICAR-CIFT has opened the call for applications from innovators, startups, entrepreneurs, fish farmers, student innovators, FFPOs, FPCs, MSMEs and business entities working in the fisheries and aquaculture sector. The programme seeks to support promising ideas and early-stage ventures through mentoring, technical guidance, access to ICAR fisheries technologies, business networking support, industry connect and certification.

The focus areas of the cohort include fish farming and feed technology, sustainable harvest technologies, post-harvest technologies, value addition and waste utilization, fish health, nutrition and aquaceuticals, cold chain, packaging and preservation, and digital marketing.

The application window for SHITIJ 2.0 opens on 10 July 2026 and will close on 31 July 2026. The selection process will be completed within 21 days from the closing of applications, and the selected startups will be intimated by the last week of August 2026. The core incubation and mentorship phase is scheduled from September to October 2026 and beyond. Interested applicants may visit the official website www.cift.res.in for details and application. For queries, applicants may contact the ZTM-ABI Centre, ICAR-CIFT, Kochi at 9778103137 / 0484 2412414 or email ciftincubation@gmail.com. Scan the following QR code for the application portal.