'Grassroot innovation must be linked to the industry for commercialisation' - President Pranab Mukherjee

Tuesday December 01, 2015 , 2 min Read

Any innovation happening either at grassroots level or in the higher educational institutions must be linked to the industry for commercialisation, President Pranab Mukherjee said in Ahmedabad.

Addressing an event at Indian Institute of Management (IIM), he said innovation is key to economic development and reflects the maturity of a nation and society to respond to the emerging needs and challenges. "Innovation is a continuous process and needs to be nurtured at each and every step," the President said as he asked the premier institute to establish strong industry-academic linkages.

"Innovation, higher education and industry need to be closely networked for maximum benefit of the society. Any innovation happening either at the grassroots level or in the higher educational institutions must be linked to the industry for commercialisation of the innovation," he said during the event to give away APJ Abdul Kalam IGNITE awards to young innovators in Ahmedabad.

About 40 young minds, majority of them between 7-15 age groups and belonging to rural areas of the country, were awarded by the President for their innovation. Over 28,000 submissions were received for the APJ Abdul Kalam IGNITE competition from all the states and union territories in the country.

"It is heartening to see so many creative young minds tackling some of the challenges faced by our society at such a young age. This certainly augurs well for the future of our country," Mukherjee said. He appreciated the institute's Center for Innovation Incubation and Entrepreneurship for doing path-breaking work in strengthening the ecosystem of innovation in Ahmedabad, Pune, Jaipur, and other cities all over India.

"Elective courses such as Shodh Yatra and Rural Immersion Module encourage students to experience how innovation is sparked at the grassroots and among the underprivileged. These kinds of innovative programmes will help in realising the entrepreneurial goals identified through 'Start-up India, Stand-up India' initiative launched by our Prime Minister," the President said.

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