Picture: ShutterstockOwing to present-day COVID crisis, economies throughout the world are exhibiting contraction. But many are contemplating this as an opportunity to start impressive products and options. The businesses in submit COVID environment will work quite otherwise and there is enormous scope for innovation.
If India has to bounce back again and then leapfrog, then we have to have to inspire startup’ and enterprises centered on revolutionary principles. Unquestionably, innovation, financial development and social advancement are intertwined. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has mentioned that a self-reliant India would be totally crucial in the Put up-COVID 19 earth and would be based mostly on 5 pillars – Economy, Infrastructure, System, Demography, and Demand from customers.
So the million dollar question we really need to question is whether we are accomplishing more than enough to endorse and sustain innovation ecosystem in India? I sincerely imagine that a great deal requirements to be completed but we are definitely on proper monitor.
Global Innovation Index
How considerably have we arrive on the route of innovation? Not long ago, the Cornell School of Company, in collaboration with INSEAD and Environment Intercontinental Patent Organization (WIPO), introduced the Worldwide Innovation Index for 2020 (GII-2020). It presented the yearly innovation rating of 131 countries in which, India ranked 48 from 81 in 2015. This is thanks to many measures taken by the federal government.
The GII rating suggests the innovation functionality of a nation. The leaders in Innovation generally have a balance amongst the distinctive regions of their innovation system, like knowledge generation, exploration, application and impact of innovation. The GII report presents important perception into a nation’s innovation technique based on several innovation indicators. We rank superior on some of the parameters, but reduced on many others. For illustration, our study output has amplified considerably India is now ranked 3rd in exploration publications.
Federal government Initiatives
The Federal government of India has taken several initiatives in the previous few several years to push the country on the route of innovation and making a conducive ecosystem. Some of these are – Begin-up India, Accelerating Growth of New India’s Improvements (AGNIi), ASPIRE plan, Intelligent Town Mission, Uchchatar Avishkaar Yojana, Make In India, Start out-up India Initiative, Atal Incubation Centre (AIC), Atal Innovation Mission (Intention), Atma Nirbhar Bharat. Worthy of specific mention are strategies for gals business owners (WEP). It also gives monetary support for the step from innovation to commercialization and extends various fiscal concessions to market. All these attempts really should quickly direct the place into turning into the world innovation and knowledge hub.
An additional initiative is the Central Government’s New Training Policy 2020. This path-breaking plan has provisions for some radical changes. Its pivotal concentration is on optimizing use of methods, tutorial adaptability, critical thinking, experiential studying, interactive school rooms, integrated pedagogy, inter/transdisciplinary method for competency, and final result-dependent student-centric 21st century schooling. This is expected to spur utilized mastering, innovation and an entrepreneurial society in the Increased Schooling Establishments (HEIs). The Government is now in the approach of framing its Science, Technological innovation, and Innovation Plan (STIP 2020). These policies are envisioned to build an environment conducive for innovation.
Atal Rating of Establishments on Innovation Achievements (ARIIA)
Considering our prospective and necessity to innovate, the Ministry of Instruction, Govt of India has introduced a one of a kind yearly position programme Atal Rating of Institutions on Innovation Achievements (ARIIA), in 2018, to systematically rank all larger instruction establishments in India based mostly on their innovation achievements and on campus start off-up ecosystems. ARIIA focuses on high quality of innovation and attempts to evaluate the authentic impression created by the innovations. ARIIA ranking is expected to encourage HEIs to reorient their brain-established and restructure their programmes as effectively as produce ecosystems to motivate superior high quality research, innovation and entrepreneurship.
The Authorities of India experienced introduced the to start with ARIIA awards in April 2019. A lot of complex HEIs utilized for the ARIIA ranking to showcase their achievements and pitch in the innovation area. Even so, there have been only a handful of submissions for the ARIIA rating from the non-complex HEIs. The key purpose can be attributed to the truth that a lot of non-complex establishments understand innovation to be the area of only science and technological know-how institutions. The couple of Non-complex establishments which experienced utilized were being not prosperous as they have been not ready to score in some of the parameters of ARIIA.
It is significant to have an understanding of that innovation is not limited to the college of Science and Engineering. Revolutionary units, procedures, techniques, and concepts can have a myriad interdisciplinary and multi-sectorial applications. The faculties of Humanities, Commerce, and Administration also have numerous possibilities to collaborate, innovate and translate concepts into professional goods, optimized methods, and processes. Interdispiclinarity is the buzz phrase these days. Unlike in the past, disciplines can no for a longer period flourish in drinking water-restricted compartments.
Thus, this year the Innovation Cell of the MHRD, Authorities of India, constituted a committee, less than my Chairmanship, to structure the ARIIA framework for non-specialized establishments. It was generally agreed that the parameters with respect to which the evaluations of the HEIs would be performed will keep on being the same for technological and non-complex establishments. However, unique weightages are assigned to them with respect to complex and non-specialized establishments. The parameters are: Educational Programmes related to Innovation & Entrepreneurship, Building an Innovation and Entrepreneurial set-up, Infrastructure and amenities to market I & E actions, Technology of innovations and their implementation, Fund/Investment decision mobilised to assistance Innovation, IP produced and commercialized, Expenditure on innovation and income generated via IP exploited. It is expected that this would allow non-specialized establishments to not only use for ARIIA position but also offer them a far more degree enjoying discipline.
However, a single of the troubles will be to produce awareness about the relevance of innovation amongst the school associates of non-technological HEIs. It is the obligation of College and higher education administration and leadership to orient instructors through education and workshops on the need for innovation across domains and the will need for the security of mental house. This re-orientation is predicted to percolate to each undergraduate and publish graduate learners.
The Govt of Maharashtra far too has taken numerous initiatives to market the tradition of innovation. It declared its State Innovation and Get started-up Policy and has established up a nodal govt agency, Maharashtra Condition Innovation Society (MSInS), to strengthen innovation-pushed entrepreneurial ecosystem in the state. The culture aims to foster impressive ways and produce conducive atmosphere for progressive enterprises to function in Maharashtra. It is offering assistance at many amounts to the begin-up ecosystem. It presents restricted get the job done orders to productive get started-ups and offers a state-vast network. It delivers mentorship and economic help to females entrepreneurs to completely transform their ground breaking thoughts to saleable and sustainable organizations. It is a platform to suggest impressive company concepts to tackle challenges faced by neighborhood communities and districts. MSInS also provides monetary assistance to start-ups for filing patents and for lab screening for product or service launches.
Initiatives by HEIs
HEIs not only present competent manpower for the Market and Modern society, but can also significantly enhance innovation, incubation and an entrepreneurial society. For India to strengthen on the GII and emerge as a world wide innovation hub, the HEIs ought to create a suitable sustainable innovation ecosystem and convert study into innovation. This ecosystem will encourage and nurture youthful pupils by exposing them to new concepts and procedures, ensuing in revolutionary routines. Campu
s innovation ought to boost get started-ups and entrepreneurship, in turn, main to development of new work. They can layout and make a decision on the regional innovation techniques, pinpointing thrust parts. Universities need to synergise era of collective innovation assets by facilitating IPR generation, interdisciplinary engagements, collaborations, incubations and new work. HEIs are consequently a element of an innovation method.
The University of Mumbai with the assist of Maharashtra Point out Innovation Modern society (MSInS) has started off a not-for-gain (Portion 8), get started-up incubation business named, “MU-Strategies Foundation” with the objective of setting up a get started-up tradition that encourages modern tips and transforms revolutionary concepts into practical companies. It aims to advertise location up of commence-ups and support them in the course of their pre-incubation, incorporation, and operations phases to allow the development of profitable organizations, through mentoring, advising and earning readily available the amenities of the College.
Crises are pretty normally a resource of creative imagination and innovation. The COVID-19 pandemic has paradoxically thrown up quite a few avenues of innovation and enterprise such as in areas like schooling, promoting, retailing, communication, IT between many others. There are ample opportunities for innovation in fields this kind of as ecosystem, well being, agriculture, artificial intelligence, robotics, 3D printing and nanotechnology. We really should utilise authorities incentives to market the most ground breaking of these strategies.
All stake holders, governments, educationists, academicians and pupils should appear collectively to establish an ecosystem of innovation, incubation and get started-ups. Enable us engender learners who dilemma, innovate and consider to satisfy the unmet desires of modern society and market. Enable us leverage on the demographic gain of Younger India. We can merge our endeavours and work in the direction of the creation of an “Atma Nirbhar Bhart – a self-reliant India”.
– The post has been contributed by Prof. Suhas Pednekar, Vice Chancellor College of Mumbai & Performing Vice Chancellor, Dr. Homi Bhabha Condition College (1st Cluster University in the Condition of Maharashtra)
Click right here to see Forbes India’s detailed protection on the Covid-19 condition and its effects on lifetime, organization and the economy

[This article has been reproduced with permission from Welingkar Institute of Management Development and Research (WeSchool)]