Create innovation network to help start-ups: Prez to institutes

The President said the country needs both reach and excellence, quality and affordability, and autonomy with accountability in education sector.

Indian youth are second to none in entrepreneurship and educational institutes must work towards creating an innovation and research network that will produce entrepreneurs and nurture innovations, President Pranab Mukherjee said in New Delhi on Thursday.

President Pranab Mukherjee says academic institutions are an important stakeholder for the socio-economic development of the nation. (AFP file Photo)

He said the country needs both reach and excellence, quality and affordability, and autonomy with accountability in education sector. “Indian youth are second to none in entrepreneurship.

India serves as the fastest growing start-up base worldwide and stands third with 4,200 start-ups, next only to US and UK.

“The government has initiated the ‘Start-up India, Stand-up India’ campaign to incentivise entrepreneurial ventures. Heads of institutes of higher learning must work towards creating an innovation and research network that will produce entrepreneurs and nurture innovations,” Mukherjee said.

He said academic institutions are an important stakeholder for the socio-economic development of the nation. “I had earlier asked central universities and National Institutes of Technology (NITs) to adopt at least five villages and transform them into model villages.

Mukherjee also launched ‘IMPRINT India’-- a joint initiative of Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and Indian Institutes of Science (IISs) to develop a roadmap for research to solve major engineering and technology challenges relevant to the country.