US aircraft maker Boeing invites startups, students in India for its innovation leadership programme

Incubation for Startups: The aerospace industry leader Boeing has invited applications from Indian university students and early-stage startup entrepreneurs for the third edition of its annual flagship aerospace innovation, leadership and talent development program Boeing University Innovation Leadership Development (BUILD). The last date to apply for the program is November 10, 2023. 

The program started in 2019, is designed for university graduates and early-stage startup entrepreneurs. The program has partnered with seven incubators such as IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Gandhinagar, IIT Madras, IISC Bangalore, T-Hub Hyderabad, and KIIT Bhubaneshwar.

The students who are either graduating or would have graduated in 2023 in the engineering stream for a bachelor’s or a master’s degree/or have enrolled in a Ph.D. program or a post-doctoral program are eligible to apply for the program. The early startup entrepreneurs in the pre-seed conceptualising phase with no funding can apply for the program. 

Boeing will train the selected applicants in sectors such as Aerospace and Defence, technology, social impact, sustainability, manufacturing, and healthcare, among others. Under the Aerospace and Defence, the program will focus on Aviation, defence technology, space technology, and autonomous vehicles and technologies.

Under the technology startups, emphasis will be laid upon IoT and Connectivity, Robotics and Automation, AI and machine learning, Digital Aviation, and Supply Chain Innovation.

Boeing has allotted 7 grids, each for different regions for applicants to apply to their nearest grid. IIT Delhi for North states of India, IIT Gandhinagar for Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, IIT Bombay for Maharashtra and Goa, IISC Bangalore for Karnataka, IIT Madras for Tamil Nadu and Kerala, T-Hub Hyderabad for Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, KIIT Bhubaneswar for adjoining states of Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Assam, and the seven Northeastern states. 

After the first edition in 2019, the second edition of BUILD received applications from more than 750 innovators and from more than 1,600 student and startup participants. Other than BUILD, Boeing has organised various programs and competitions such as the HorizonX India Innovation Challenge, the Accelerated Aircraft Maintenance Engineers Apprenticeship, and the National Aeromodelling Competition with IIT to support young entrepreneurs from India.