Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Around 1,000 higher education institutions in Kerala will soon have a new programme aimed at scaling up student entrepreneurship and innovation. The Kerala Government has extended the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Centres (IEDCs) programme implemented by the Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) to all higher education institutions (HEIs) in the state.
The decision widens the scope of the IEDC programme, which initially covered universities, colleges and polytechnics, to all campuses under the Higher Education Department, based on a proposal submitted by the KSUM.
The Government also issued a set of detailed guidelines regarding formation, structure, student and faculty participation and the role of HEIs in the implementation of the IEDC programme. The decision will enable all HEIs under the Higher Education Department to set up IEDCs, including in arts & science, engineering, polytechnics, music, law, fine arts, training, physical education and other colleges.
Noting that the scaling up of the IEDC programme will profoundly impact the state’s startup ecosystem, KSUM CEO Anoop Ambika said the project will open up immense opportunities for students to translate their ideas and skills into marketable products.
As per the guidelines, IEDC in each campus will be chaired by its principal, who can approve the activities based on the plan submitted by the nodal officer concerned. A faculty representative from each department has to be nominated by the Principal or HOD as a member of the institute’s IEDC council. A 10-member student executive committee has to be formed with two of them as lead members, of whom at least one should be a woman, to be entrusted with various responsibilities for the effective conduct of IEDCs.
