Amity University, Noida organises the prestigious Ministry of Education’s Innovation Cell (MIC), Institution Innovation’s Council (IIC), Regional Meet

Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Noida Campus organised the prestigious Ministry of Education’s Innovation Cell (MIC), Institution Innovation’s Council (IIC), Regional Meet, Noida.

Regional meets are the flagship programme of Ministry of Education’s Innovation Cell (MIC), designed to provide a networking platform for IIC institutions and prospective IIC institutions to celebrate their contribution towards institutionalising and streamlining their campus innovation ecosystems and leading the innovation movement in Higher Education Institutions. Around 800-1000 participants joined this meet from 300 IIC Institutions, 50 ATL Schools, 50 Non IIC Institutions, more than 20 Regional Ecosystem Enablers, 100 Innovators & Startups, 50 ATL Schools, 50 Experts, Mentors and Policymakers and 10 State and Central Govt Agencies participated in this Regional Meet.

The Meet was inaugurated by Prof. T. G. Sitharam, Chairman, AICTE, Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Govt of India, Dr. Atul Chauhan, Chancellor, Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Mr. Dipan Sahu, Asst. Innovation Director, MIC, Dr. Jitender Kumar, Managing Director, BIRAC, Dr. Mamta Rani, Advisor-I, AICTE and Dr (Prof) Balvinder Shukla, Vice Chancellor, Amity University Uttar Pradesh.

Addressing the students of Amity during the Inaugural Session, Guest of Honor, Prof. T. G. Sitharam, Chairman, AICTE, averred, “India will become the most developed nation of the world by 2047 and during this Amrit Kaal, we have to take higher education to the next level and work on various transformational reforms. NEP 2020 includes excellent policies and initiatives which must be implemented in the next 25 years to make India the knowledge capital of the world, but it is not being followed. The vision for Amrit Kaal includes providing education in mother tongue so that it can reach the maximum number of people. Therefore, we have published many books in regional languages, and have also created reforms in examinations. Rote learning and writing in examinations has to change. We have also taken a big step forward to integrate skilling into education since skill development is extremely crucial for the development of the country. India’s vision is not only to become “Aatm Nirbhar” or self-sufficient but also to become a “Vishwa Daata”, ie. a “giver”, as witnessed during the pandemic when India provided vaccines to more than 100 countries and helped them.” He lauded Amity Education Group for making a great contribution to nation-building.

Encouraging the students of Amity, Dr. Atul Chauhan, Chancellor, Amity University Uttar Pradesh and President RBEF, stated, “Innovation is in the DNA of Amity, which is evident through the filing of patents and the awards and accolades earned by Amity in the area of patent filing and publishing research papers. India has the best creative and innovative minds and has immense potential to become the scientific and economic superpower of the world. The future of the country rests on the shoulders of the youth, therefore the need of the hour is to encourage the youth to have their own start-ups and make optimum use of the opportunities provided to them by Amity.”

Sharing his views on the occasion, Mr. Dipan Sahu, Assistant Innovation Director, Ministry of Education’s Innovation Council, said, “India is at the 40th position in the Global Innovation Index today and the day is not far when it will be at the top position in Global Innovation Index. By 2027, 40-50% higher education institutions must have an Institution Innovation Council System so that the start- up ecosystem can grow and entrepreneurship can be promoted. India’s youth must come forward and brainstorm together to develop new ideas which can fuel the growth of entrepreneurship.”

Addressing the gathering Dr. Mamta Rani, Advisor-I, AICTE, opined, “Excellence can only be achieved through innovation, which is based on three verticals- teaching and learning process, academia-industry relationship, and collaboration. Today, there are 111 Unicorns in India, making it the third largest start-up ecosystem in the world and through various policy initiatives, capacity building, financial support, India will become the largest startup ecosystem of the world in the next few years.”

Prof. (Dr.) Balvinder Shukla, Vice Chancellor, Amity University, Uttar Pradesh, said, “This Regional Meet is a great initiative by the Ministry of Education, which will serve as a great platform for budding entrepreneurs to network and collaborate with each other, leading to the development of new products and technologies and strengthen the start-up ecosystem of the country. Amity University encourages start-ups in a big way through its Amity Innovation Incubator where new ideas and strategies emerge everyday which lead to the birth of start-ups.” She called upon the students to visit the Amity Innovation Incubator, discuss their ideas and take support and guidance of the experts.

Emphasising upon the need for innovation, Dr. Jitender Kumar, Managing Director, BIRAC, stated, “There is a need for an institutional mechanism of venture creation which can only be possible by strengthening the start-up ecosystem of the country. Amity has taken a lead in the field of innovation, setting an example for higher education institutions of how we can spur innovation and entrepreneurship in the country, thereby creating a mechanism for nurturing and accelerating the growth of start-ups.”

During the day-long meet, a Round Table Discussion, “Indovation”, a Regional IIC Consortium Meeting and Action Plan Preparation, YUKTI Innovation Challenge, Orientation Sessions on topics such as “Using PR to Build Brand Equity for Innovators”, “Idea to Product and Product to Startup”, “What makes a Startup Investable” and One -to- One Mentoring cum Pitching Session, were also held wherein experts shared their insights. In addition, start-up exhibitions, such as “Kartavyabodh” and “Udyami Bazaar”, were also held wherein school students and higher education institution students showcased their path-breaking innovations.