Sibal inaugurates first-of-its kind innovation centre

New Delhi, Feb.24 (ANI): Innovation is increasingly being viewed as the engine for the growth of prosperity.

The Government of India declared 2010-2020 as the Decade of Innovation realising this potential of innovation to play a critical role in India's economic and social development.

In keeping with the country's resolve to build an enabling environment for innovation to flourish in the country and to rekindle the spirit of innovation among the fresh lot of IIT graduates who spend large part of their time in labs or pouring over text books, the alumni of IIT Delhi 1986 batch have come up with this novel idea of setting up an exclusive Innovation Centre.

The Innovation Centre at the premier engineering institute of India was inaugurated here on Friday during the concluding function of the Golden Jubilee Celebrations of IIT, Delhi, quite appropriately by one of the most ardent proponents of the 'spirit of innovation', the minister of human resource and development Mr Kapil Sibal.

Speaking on the occasion, Sibal said that we have to prepare our children for global opportunities and we have to forsee what role IIT will play in 2020-30 to fully contribute in the growth of the nation. Mr Sibal recently proposed for an Indian Innovation Act, which keenly favours an education policy that would "make our students more innovative and weaken bureaucratic control over research and development and scientific institutions."

The IIT-D Innovation Centre, a brainchild of a group of 40 alumni of 1986 Batch, is designed to help students from different disciplines to work on innovative projects, mentor them on socially and commercially relevant projects, support co-curricular activities like the Robotics and the SAE Clubs and develop cross-linkages with other innovation programs.

It was during the Silver Jubilee Reunion of the IIT, Delhi Batch of 1986 in 2010 that an Innovation Fund was launched and a sum of Rs 50 lakh was pledged to build this Innovation Centre. Designed with a vision to set the students of IIT-D on the path of innovation and encourage them to take up creative work outside their curriculum, the Centre promises to be one of its kind.

"This is our way of giving back to our Alma Mater," says Ejaz Hoda of the '86 Batch. "The Innovation Centre will foster the spirit of innovation among students of IIT Delhi and provide the perfect springboard for entrepreneurial activity," he adds.

According to S K Gupta, another alumnus behind the project, "These initiatives are the result of a new collaborative relationship between IIT Delhi and its alumni. We have a great academic team at IIT Delhi that is keen to forge new paths and take the Institute to new heights." The centre will provide space, tools and more importantly, the mentorship to students to think out of the box and come up with "something new."

The Golden Jubilee Celebrations of IIT-Delhi, inaugurated by the President of India on August 16, 2010, has been marked by a series of national and international conferences, special lectures, felicitations and awards. Yet another alumni initiative to be launched on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee of the institute is the GH Keswani Research Centre, the foundation stone for which was laid down by Mr Sibal during the concluding function of the jubilee celebrations here on Friday. (ANI)