BIT STEP

About BIT STEP (Web Page Under Construction)

Registration Number: 1108/2024-2025, Ranchi, Jharkhand (24/1986-87, Patna, Bihar)

BIT-STEP- संकल्पान्समर्थयामः, नवोन्मेषंप्रज्वालयामः।

Vision

To become a premier national platform for innovation-driven entrepreneurship by nurturing technology-based startups, promoting inclusive industrial growth, and serving as a model for sustainable enterprise development across India.

Mission

Mission 1: To empower aspiring entrepreneurs by providing access to cutting-edge research, infrastructure, mentorship, and financial linkages, enabling the transformation of innovative ideas into commercially viable enterprises.

Mission 2: To catalyze sustainable industrial development by promoting small and medium enterprises (SMEs), with a special focus on rural and underdeveloped regions of Jharkhand and India.

Mission 3: To establish a collaborative ecosystem between academia, industry, government, and financial institutions that fosters innovation, supports startup incubation, and disseminates the BIT-STEP model across technical institutions nationwide.

TRACING THE ROOTS: THE EVOLUTION FROM SIRDO TO BIT-STEP

A Legacy of Innovation: The Journey of SIRTDO at Birla Institute of Technology (BIT)

One of India's most successful initiatives in small enterprise development began at the Birla Institute of Technology (BIT), Mesra, with the establishment of the Small Industries Research Training and Development Organization (SIRTDO). This pioneering effort laid the foundation for promoting entrepreneurship among technical graduates.

Following a decade of academic excellence, BIT took a transformative step in 1964 with the establishment of the Birla Institute of Scientific Research (BISR). In the same year, an Industrial Research Department was initiated at BIT with funding from BISR. The vision expanded further in 1970 when BISR sponsored the creation of the Small Industries Research and Development Organization (SIRDO), which later evolved into SIRTDO. This organization was tasked with helping BIT graduates establish their enterprises based on innovations developed at the Institute.

In 1972, BIT was granted autonomous status through a special provision in the Bihar State University Act of 1960. By 1973, two industries—Teckno-Mek and Perfect Inoculators & Fabricators—had been successfully launched and were housed within the Industrial Research Department.

To address financial challenges faced by aspiring entrepreneurs, SIRDO collaborated with the local UCO Bank, submitting project proposals that aimed to exempt technical graduates from initial capital contributions and offered flexible loan repayment structures. This partnership led to the successful launch of the first three industries by 1972–73.

The momentum continued with the establishment of the Bihar Drug Research Laboratory in 1974 and the completion of the SIRDO complex in 1975, which saw the creation of three additional industries.

Recognizing its growing impact, the Government of Bihar formally acknowledged BIT's Small-Scale Industries Promotion Program in 1975. On 10th February 1978, SIRTDO was officially registered as a society with expanded powers and responsibilities, surpassing those held by its predecessor, SIRDO.

SIRTDO became a collaborative effort involving BIT and four other premier technical institutions located in Patna, Sindri, Muzaffarpur, and Bhagalpur, in partnership with the Government of Bihar. Its objectives include:

1. Fostering entrepreneurship among technical graduates is crucial to stimulating industrial growth and national development.
2. Sharing BIT’s model for small-scale industrial promotion across Bihar and eventually throughout India.
3. Promoting rural industrialization in economically underdeveloped districts of Bihar.

Administrative and Financial Support:

• Bihar State Small Industries Development Corporation (BSSIC): Provides support with raw material procurement and marketing, operating branches in all 33 districts of Bihar.
• Bihar State Export Corporation (BSEC): Competes for international orders on behalf of local small-scale industries.
• Financial Institutions:
  • Bihar State Financial Corporation (BSFC)
  • Bihar State Credit Investment Corporation (BSCIC)
  • UCO Bank, which finances technically viable projects endorsed by SIRTDO
  • Other national financial institutions like IFCI and IDBI

Through these visionary efforts, SIRTDO continues to be a beacon for innovation-driven industrial growth, empowering generations of technocrats to become job creators and industry leaders.

BIT-STEP: India’s First Science and Technology Entrepreneurs Park

In a landmark achievement, Birla Institute of Technology (BIT) and the Government of Bihar were selected in 1985 to establish the first-ever Science and Technology Entrepreneurs Park (STEP) in India.

On May 7, 1985, the BIT-STEP Society was officially founded with a visionary mission—to promote collaboration between industry, research, and academic institutions, and to foster innovation-led entrepreneurship.

As part of this transformation, all assets and liabilities of the Small Industries Research Training and Development Organisation (SIRTDO) as of March 31, 1985, were integrated into BIT-STEP, marking the beginning of a new era in entrepreneurial development and industrial incubation at BIT.