The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and the Ministry of Education will be launching ten ‘Indovation’ cells in tier 2 and 3 institutions across India. The cells will help in scaling up technological ideas and assisting in the commercialisation of startups. The placement portal, exclusively for engineering students from rural areas, will also be launched in two months.
AICTE Chairman, T G Sitharam, announced the initiative on Wednesday and stated that the Indovation cells would scout for technology in smaller institutions and aid in their development. These cells will come up in ten of the regional offices previously operated by the AICTE and are expected to be fully functional by month-end. Maharashtra’s Indovation cell is set to come up in Mumbai.
According to Abhay Jere, Vice Chairman of AICTE and the Chief Innovation Officer at the Ministry of Education, for the Indovation cell, infrastructure is already in place, and the funding has been green-lighted. Further, they have received enquiries from companies interested in hiring students from rural and tribal areas, prompting the launch of the placement portal.
AICTE and the Ministry of Education are championing the initiative to promote design, innovation, and entrepreneurship. This week, they are launching a boot camp for the same purpose in six locations which will also be streamed live on social media. Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan will be inaugurating the boot camp at the College of Engineering Pune Technological University.
Sitharam emphasised that quality education is the foundation for the growth of a country. By making design, innovation, and entrepreneurship available to small institutions, they idealised change and made accessible. The Bootcamp and the Indovation cell initiative form part of the government’s larger goal of developing a strong educational infrastructure that will spur innovation and boost economic growth.
