One of the most prolific and respected incubators globally, the twenty three year old TREC STEP has been single-handedly responsible for creating employment for more than 5000 households. The 186 graduate firms of this STEP are collectively generating revenues of more than Rs 200 cr (Rupees two thousand million).

TREC STEP is affiliated with The National Institute of Technology (formerly known as Regional Engineering College) Tiruchirappalli. Situated in the heart of Tamil Nadu on the banks of river Cauvery, National Institute of Technology (NIT) Tiruchirappalli was started as a joint and co-operative venture of the Government of India and the Government of Tamil Nadu in 1964 with a view to cater to the needs of man-power in technology for the country. The college has been conferred with autonomy in financial and administrative matters to achieve rapid development. Because of this rich experience, this institution was granted Deemed University Status with the approval of the UGC/AICTE and Govt. of India in the year 2003 and renamed as National Institute of Technology.

TREC – STEP, established in 1986, is amongst the first STEP in the country and has promoted nearly 186 ventures and 102 new technologies of young science & technology persons from its inception, creating nearly 5000 job opportunities. TREC-STEP has brought many international and national organizations like World Bank, EU, UNDP, UNIDO, BCD, IDRC, CISCO, DST, DSIR and MSME for the benefit of Tiruchirappalli SME community. 

A pioneer in Business Incubation across the globe, TREC-STEP is currently also the Chair of Incubation Commonalities group of Global BI Network of National Associations. It works closely with regional SME associations such as TIDITSSIA, BHELSSIA, Productivity Council and many other national, regional and other organizations as mentor and facilitator for SME Development in the region. These contributions have been greatly acknowledged both by these associations and affirmed further by independent studies carried by UNIDO.