Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India

Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDI) is an international resource organisation for training, teaching and research in entrepreneurship development. It was set up by all India financial institutions viz. Industrial Development Bank of India (IDBI), Industrial Credit & Investment Corporation of India (ICICI), Industrial Finance Corporation of India (IFCI) and State Bank of India (SBI). EDI has been spearheading entrepreneurship movement throughout the nation with a belief that entrepreneurs need not necessarily be born, but can be developed through well-conceived and well-directed activities. This, in turn, led to the emergence of several training programmes, workshops and reserch projects under strategic thrust areas, thereby advancing the frontiers of theories and practices of entrepreneurship and effectively contributing to the nation’s economic vitality.

Realising that such a gigantic task can only be accomplished with a collaborative effort, EDI has established linkage with a nation-wide network of organisations and institutions committed to entrepreneurship development. The Micro Enterprise & Micro Finance Development is one of the important thrust areas in the Institute. This activities of this thrust area have completed 15 years of fruitful partnership with NGOs in implementing Micro Enterprise Development Programmes (MEDPs) and other related programmes in rural areas. This thrust area has implemented 750 REDPs, training 15,000 rural youths, of which about 10000 have successfully launched their venture with an average investment of about Rs. 45,000/- and employment of over 2 persons per venture. So far, EDI has trained over 500 trainer-motivators from NGOs.

EDI was invited by IFAD to evolve credit system for micro enterprises in Tanzania and has also trained eight groups of Senior Executive of Government / NGOs from Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh and Egypt on micro enterprise & micro finance development. The extensive work on micro enterprise and micro finance has brought EDI very close to the problems and needs of rural poor. With valuable support from funding organisations like SIDBI, NABARD, RGVN, KVIC, Central Silk Board, Ford Foundation, FNSt, active involvement of NGOs and backed by well qualified, experienced and committed team of 14 full time faculty members, EDI is set to make a long lasting contribution towards the goals of employment creation and poverty alleviation through promotion of micro enterprise & micro finance development. It has professional capabilities, grassroots level experience and commitment to rural development and excellent training infrastructure at the campus near Ahmedabad.

Even though much has been realised, far more remains to be done and EDI continues with its mission of augmenting manifold the nation’s aggregate capacity to develop its entrepreneurial potential.