'Innovate to Lead - Innovation Camp' building industry-academia collaboration is coming to Pune, Nashik and Nagpur

It is known that when industries and academia work in tandem, they become a powerful engine for economic growth and innovation. The collaboration is a win-win proposition for both - MSMEs without the wherewithal to conduct intensive R&D have access to the technical facilities of institutes while institutes receive critical inputs regarding market requirements. This kind of synergy is interactive, collaborative and promotes a mutual benefitting ecosystem. However, various studies show (barring a few examples pertaining to mostly large companies and institutes) that the two remain largely disconnected in the country. Despite both the industries and academia being aware of the benefits that these collaborations could possibly bring, such partnerships don’t emerge naturally due to various factors. 

However, with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), GmbH, it was possible to facilitate this collaboration. GIZ supports the Indian Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) for the inclusive growth and productivity of the MSMEs. In order to showcase the outcomes of the successful cooperation between industry and academia, the Indo-German Programme for Innovation Promotion in MSMEs on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Germany, recently organised the Innovate to Lead - Innovation Camp at Aurangabad. 100 ready-to-market solutions and prototypes ideated by 600 students from 12 different academic institutes, for industry problems identified in over 90 MSMEs, were displayed during the event. After the success of the Aurangabad event, GIZ is now all set to host the Innovation Camp in three other cities in Maharashtra -- Nagpur, Pune and Nashik.

Industry-academia collaboration to address Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) challenges

The unique model of industry-academia collaboration is facilitated by GIZ India in partnership with the Ministry of MSMEs and local stakeholders including MSMEs, academia, and industry associations. It involved students and their mentors working together with MSMEs to identify complex problems by means of visiting factories and subsequently developing solutions to address them. The initiative helped bridge the gap between industry and academia, and MSMEs were thereafter able to save costs, and increase their productivity and efficiency. Students, on the other hand, got practical exposure to how things work in an actual industry. This pragmatic experience in dealing with real-life practices and issues, is sure to help them get better employment opportunities.

Now, coming to what's in store for the attendees of the Innovation Camp, an Innovation Gallery would be set up, showcasing innovative solutions and prototypes developed by the students for MSMEs. The possible synergy between the two sectors, and to learn about the series of how they’ve engaged and explored mutually benefiting opportunities for growth, would be something compelling for the visitors to perceive.

In addition to this, success stories of preceding industry-academia collaborations would be shared during the event.

Register now and be a part of an innovative ecosystem

This is your chance to showcase your ideas, network with folks from various industries and contribute to develop India's private sector. The Innovation Camp is scheduled on the following dates in these cities:

Pune - Thursday | July 4, 2019

Venue: Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture [Map Link]

Get a chance to listen to MSME owners, academicians and corporates such as Tata and Mahindra talk about innovation promotion and the benefits of industry-academia partnerships. Teams from three engineering colleges (Maharastra Institute of Technology, Vishwakarma Institute of Technology and Nuthan College of Engineering and Management) will collaborate with 25 odd MSMEs in Pune. This is best suited for MSMEs and academic members, considering this as a great opportunity to learn about new innovative ways to collaborate.

Nashik - Friday | July 5, 2019

Venue: Nashik Engineering Cluster [Map Link]

The Nashik Innovation Camp will showcase solutions developed for 16 MSMEs by teams from K.K Wagh Education Society, Sandip Foundation’s Institute of Engineering and Management and MET Bhujbal Knowledge City. There will be sessions by the senior industry experts, academicians and MSME owners, on the benefits of collaboration.

Nagpur - Saturday | August 17, 2019

With MSME-DI Nagpur and MIDC Industries Association as the industry partner, the event will see great participation from academia and more than 30 SMEs across Nagpur. Prepare yourself to witness some of the very innovative solutions developed by teams from Visveswara National Institute of Technology, KDK College of Engineering and Shri Ramdeobaba College of Engineering and Management colleges.

This year, you can look forward to an increase in the number of projects with higher participation from both MSMEs and academia. Hurry up and register now!