Hyderabad: Senior officials from the Union Ministry of Education and All India Council for Technical Education on Wednesday met Telangana State Council of Higher Education (TGHE) Chairman Professor V Balakrishna Reddy and discussed creating a regional ecosystem for innovation and incubation in higher education institutions across the State.

Dr Yogesh Brahmankar, Director of Innovation at the Ministry of Education’s Innovation Cell, and Dr Bheema L Reddy, Manager of Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer at the AICTE Innovation Center in Hyderabad, met with Professor V Balakista Reddy.

Dr Yogesh sought Professor Reddy’s support in registering colleges on their portal for fellowships related to innovation projects. He briefed Professor Reddy about the different fellowships and scholarships available for both faculty and students. The Ministry of Education, Government of India, has established an ‘Innovation Cell’ to systematically foster a culture of innovation in all higher education institutions (HEIs) across the country. It serves as the world’s largest open innovation and incubation platform, aiming to contribute effectively to India’s innovation landscape by building a sustainable ecosystem for innovation and entrepreneurship in the education sector.

The AICTE Innovation Center is an initiative by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) that aims to establish and operate centres across India focused on researching and developing projects based on Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS).

It may be mentioned here that the Ministry of Education’s Innovation Cell (MIC) and AICTE have been actively promoting a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship within HEIs through various initiatives. The AICTE Innovation Center is a pioneering program designed to encourage innovation, entrepreneurship, and collaboration between industry and academia within the education sector.

This initiative aims to create a supportive ecosystem that fosters creativity, problem-solving, and business creation among students, while also facilitating technology transfer and the commercialisation of cutting-edge technologies.

They informed the TGHE Chairman that the AICTE Innovation Center provides assistance in the areas of: “Start-Up Support (mentoring, linkages, etc.), Funding Opportunities for innovative projects, Investor Linkages, Patenting and Licensing Assistance, Industry Collaboration and Networking, Commercialisation of innovative ideas and technologies.

The discussion regarding collaboration between the AICTE Innovation Center and the Telangana State Council of Higher Education (TGCHE) presents significant potential for promoting innovation, entrepreneurship, and quality education within the state. Some areas of convergence include: Promoting Startups through which joint initiatives can offer mentorship, funding, and networking opportunities for student entrepreneurs. The Industry-Academia Linkages would strengthen industry-academia connections allowing students to gain practical experience and develop industry-relevant skills.

The Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) is meant to raise awareness about IPR and providing training on patenting and technology transfer can help students and faculty protect their innovative ideas and commercialize their research.