Kerala's Vijnana Bharati to launch India's first innovation portal for youth

Vijnana Bharati (VIBHA) will soon launch the nation's first portal that would motivate young students to dabble in innovations and take science as a career option. "Discussions are underway with the Ministries of Science and Technology and Human Resources Development about the portal. We are hopeful of getting it off the ground soon," said A Jayakumar, VIBHA Secretary General.

Designed exclusively for school students across the country, the pioneering portal will allow students to upload their innovations. The projects, to be uploaded on the website, will be selected by school principals. VIBHA had recently entered the Guinness Book of World Records for conducting 'the largest practical science lesson' in which 2,000 school students of Delhi participated.

On Dec 7, the students from Delhi and National Capital had participated at IIT Delhi as part of the India International Science Festival.The event was jointly organised by Ministries of Science and Technology and Earth Sciences with VIBHA and Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council. Jayakumar said all 2,000 students who successfully conducted the science lesson would be members of the portal.

"It will be our way to felicitate them," he said. "Eventually, it will become a gateway for young minds in the country to showcase their projects," he noted. Jayakumar said this was the first time that a science body or movement in India has won a Guinness record. "It is a grand success; it will inspire a number of scientific institutions to undertake similar experiments and bring laurels to the country. It is extremely satisfying that the award for the historic feat of school children has been scripted in the name of Vijnana Bharati," he added.

On the portal, he said that at IISF, they saw school students from all over India coming out with some amazing projects and innovations under IRIS (Initiative for Research and Innovation in Science) and INSPIRE programmes. "The proposed portal that would facilitate them to carry out their innovations and create a buzz about them," he pointed out.

The Guinness Record would have a cascading effect on the young scientific community, he said,adding it would also create curiosity and affinity among schoolchildren towards science. For the latest record, the 2,000 school students of ninth to 12th standards 50 each from 40 schools, both government and private participated in the 65-minute-long programme.