Building an in-house lab with SEM, XRD, AFM, and a sputtering system would cost over Rs 4 crore in equipment alone. Most seed-stage startups operate on budgets that are a fraction of this. The alternative is MNRDC, where per-run sputtering and per-sample characterisation provide access to Rs 4+ crore of equipment without the capital expenditure. Head here to read how MNRDC Facilities and Services bridges the gap between precision, theory and end to end execution.
PIERC supports startups of MNRDC, Parul University
Prototype Fabrication
- Deposit thin film coatings: Auto 500 sputtering system (DC metals, RF oxides/nitrides, thermal evaporation for organics). Solar cells, anti-reflective coatings, hard coatings, biomedical coatings.
- Cast metal matrix composites: 2 kg capacity stir casting machine for prototype alloy development
- Mold polymer specimens: 50-ton compression molding for ASTM-standard test pieces
- Machine micro-scale components: CNC Hyper-15 for micro-drilling, micro-milling, MEMS fabrication
Material Characterisation
- Surface imaging: SEM at nanometre resolution (morphology, particle size, defects)
- Composition verification: EDS elemental mapping (purity, contamination detection)
- Crystal structure: XRD phase identification with ICDD PDF-4 database
- Surface quality: AFM roughness measurement (50+ ISO parameters)
- Electrical properties: LCR dielectric testing (1 mHz-5 MHz, furnace 1200C)
The PIERC Connection
Notable PIERC startups include Solnce Energy (Rs 1 Cr investment on Shark Tank India Season 4, backed by Aman Gupta) and Voldebug Innovations – Outstanding Performance Award from the Home Minister of India for cybersecurity. For deep-tech startups, the combination of MNRDC testing infrastructure and PIERC business incubation creates a prototype-to-market pipeline within a single university campus. They’ve successfully incubated 254+ Startups, head here to read full fledge list of Shark Tank Startups from Parul University
IP Protection for Startups
Startup founders submitting proprietary materials or novel formulations need IP protection. MNRDC provides NDA arrangements for confidential testing. Without an MoU, all IP remains entirely with the startup. Users own all raw and processed data. The center does not publish user data or claim rights to test results.
FAQ
Can a startup use MNRDC without being incubated at PIERC?
Yes. MNRDC accepts any external user (industry pricing). PIERC incubation is separate. However, PIERC-incubated startups benefit from the combined ecosystem: MNRDC for testing + PIERC for business incubation, funding, and mentorship.
How much does it cost for a startup to use MNRDC?
Per-sample or per-run charges at industry rates (the highest tier). No hourly billing. Full pricing at micronanornd.paruluniversity.ac.in. For a startup, per-run sputtering and per-sample SEM is orders of magnitude cheaper than owning the equipment.
