Shillong, July 31: Meghalaya is now fostering innovation and entrepreneurship with academic institutions too.

And to give it a big push, 26+ faculty members from 15 academic institutions in Meghalaya were on a 5-day startup ecosystem exposure visit to Hyderabad where they visited the world largest incubator T-Hub, prototyping lab T-Works, Agriculture and agri-tech incubator AgHub, Women incubator WeHub and IIT Hyderabad.

The programme from July 21-26 helped them get valuable insights into the Startup ecosystem which are related and relevant to the ecosystem.

The programme organised by PRIME(Promotion and Incubation of Market-driven Enterprises) Startup Meghalaya, in collaboration with Innocraft Solutions and supported by the Government of Meghalaya, was aimed to equip faculty members with the knowledge and tools to promote and foster innovation and entrepreneurship among students.

” It has become increasingly evident that fostering innovation is not just a luxury but a necessity for sustainable growth, competitiveness, and societal progress, especially at the university, academia and college level.

Academic institutions while initially started for purist education, have to slowly move to research and innovation as can be seen with some of the top entities in the world. Innovation programs initiated and supported by academia play a pivotal role in driving socio-economic changes, ecosystem development, addressing societal challenges, and enhancing the overall well-being of citizens” an official from PRIME said.

“As educators, faculty members play a vital role in shaping the minds of future entrepreneurs and innovators. By exposing them to thriving startup ecosystems like Hyderabad’s, we are empowering them to inspire and mentor students to turn ideas into reality, integrate entrepreneurship and innovation into their curriculum and create a culture of innovation within their institutions” a senior official of PRIME said.

“The exposure visits will ensure that participants from respective academic institutions are well-equipped to run E-cells and support aspiring entrepreneurs. “They will be able to validate business ideas, develop comprehensive business plans, and effectively utilize institutional and financial resources. Ultimately, this will drive the creation and growth of successful entrepreneurial ventures” the official said.

One of the participants who visited T-HUB, the world’s largest innovation campus said the 583,000. sq. ft. facility is a microcosm of the innovation ecosystem, including startups, corporates, investors, academia, and national and international enablers. “The design, comfort, and aesthetics of the space are unparalleled” the participant said.

They also interfaced at T-WORKS, India’s largest and the world’s second-largest prototyping centre where they met Prannay Kumar Nalla at the Telangana State Innovation Cell (TSIC) to understand the rural entrepreneurship ecosystem. Additionally, the team also interacted with the Research and Innovation Circle of Hyderabad (RICH), which bridges academic research to the market economy—a focus area for Meghalaya.

At the Women Entrepreneurship Hub (We Hub) the participants interacted with the funding experts. ” I fell in love with the place, people, and core philosophy at which WE hub operates. We Hub, India’s first state-led incubator for women entrepreneurs, aims to leverage women’s entrepreneurial potential by providing access to technical, financial, government, and policy support” one of them said.

Also Read: Meghalaya Govt hikes salary of protesting SSA non-teaching staff by 25%

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