Industries Minister P Rajeeve inaugurates the Ecosystem Incubation Center set up by IBM at Infopark Kochi. Others present are IBM India Senior Vice President Vishal Chahal. Principal Secretary (Industries) APM Mohammed Hanish, IBM Software Senior Vice President Dinesh Nirmal and KSIDC Managing Director Mir Mohammed Ali.
IBM on Tuesday announced the launch of its Ecosystem Incubation Center (EIC) in Kochi, a strategic space designed to accelerate innovation, entrepreneurship, and collaboration across start-ups, enterprises, and academia.
The centre will serve as a hub for early-stage ventures, skill-building, and co-innovation, positioning Kochi as a rising destination for deep tech.
The EIC will offer structured support to Kerala’s innovation ecosystem through a range of initiatives that will serve as a launchpad for the next generation of innovators. These include quarterly meetups with IBM Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), hands-on mentorship and guidance for developing proof-of-concepts (PoCs), technical workshops, hackathons and integration with academic curriculum for continuous learning and upskilling.
Kochi is home to IBM’s Software Lab which plays a crucial role in building the company’s AI and automation solutions. The Centre will build upon the Generative AI Innovation Center already established in the lab and will carry forward the momentum from the co-hosted Gen AI Conclave in 2024.
Inaugurating the centre, the State Industries Minister, PRajeeve said that the Kerala government will explore the possibilities of using artificial intelligence, including GenAI, to simplify the State administration’s day-to-day operations to the benefit of the people.
Social climate
Kerala has a progressive social climate that encourages free thinking and scientific consciousness. So there is great potential for innovation.
Dinesh Nirmal, Senior Vice President, IBM Software said “Kochi is fast emerging as a deep tech hotspot, with the right blend of talent and innovation. With this new Ecosystem Incubation Center, IBM is deepening its commitment to local collaboration, upskilling and innovation with partners. By collaborating with organizations such as Kerala Startup Mission, Infopark, Technopark and Academia, we aim to scale the development of impactful software solutions to solve our clients’ hybrid cloud and AI needs.”
Published on July 15, 2025