  Policymakers in developing countries increasingly see science, technology,
and innovation (STI) as an avenue for meeting sustainable development goals
(SDGs), with STI-based startups as a key part of these efforts. Market failures
call for government interventions in supporting STI for SDGs and
publicly-funded incubators can potentially fulfil this role. Using the specific
case of India, we examine how publicly-funded incubators could contribute to
strengthening STI-based entrepreneurship. India's STI policy and its links to
societal goals span multiple decades -- but since 2015 these goals became
formally organized around the SDGs. We examine why STI-based incubators were
created under different policy priorities before 2015, the role of public
agencies in implementing these policies, and how some incubators were
particularly effective in addressing the societal challenges that can now be
mapped to SDGs. We find that effective incubation for supporting STI-based
entrepreneurship to meet societal goals extended beyond traditional incubation
activities. For STI-based incubators to be effective, policymakers must
strengthen the 'incubation system'. This involves incorporating targeted SDGs
in specific incubator goals, promoting coordination between existing incubator
programs, developing a performance monitoring system, and finally, extending
extensive capacity building at multiple levels including for incubator managers
and for broader STI in the country.
