Bhubaneswar : The Research & Entrepreneurship Park (REP) of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bhubaneswar organized a two-day Open Innovation workshop on 13th and 14th September 2024. The objective of the workshop was to prepare corporate leaders to collaborate effectively and gain insights into emerging trends, technological breakthroughs, and disruptive strategies that could reshape the innovation landscape. Organized in association with India Accelerator, the workshop aimed to equip corporates and entrepreneurs with open innovation methodologies, enabling them to harness the collective intelligence of external stakeholders and startups to develop forward-thinking solutions and address industry challenges. The event brought together corporate leaders, innovation managers, and R&D teams from leading companies such as NTPC, Tata Steel, Grid Controller of India, and Bajaj Electricals.
Addressing the participants, Prof. Shreepad Karmalkar, Director, IIT Bhubaneswar highlighted that the concept of Capacity Building in the modern context should include skill development, research capability and entrepreneurship. He stressed: “Innovation happens when our outlook is enriched by past experience but not limited by it. Perceived simply as money making four decades ago, entrepreneurship is today regarded as a wealth generation skill to be introduced to students during their higher education. This follows from an observation of the curricula in developed countries.” Highlighting the initiatives taken by the Institute towards achieving objective of developing entrepreneurship mindset, he said: “IIT Bhubaneswar, through its Research & Entrepreneurship Park has the mission to empower visionary entrepreneurs, industry leaders and researchers by providing resources and mentorship. To achieve this objective, we are sowing ideas of entrepreneurship among school students, college students and teachers. In addition to running sensitization campaigns, we are modifying our curriculum to incorporate courses which offer a taste of research and entrepreneurship.”
Speaking on this occasion, Dr. Soobhankar Pati, CEO, REP IIT Bhubaneswar said : “Our mission is to bridge the gap between ideas and execution, providing a platform where creativity meets opportunity. At REP, we offer cutting-edge resources, expert mentorship and a collaborative environment designed to transform innovative concepts into impactful solutions. The workshop serves as a platform for budding entrepreneurs to interact with corporate leaders, enabling them to design solutions that address industry pain points.”
Prof. P. Dinakar, Dean (Sponsored Research & Industrial Consultancy) and Dr. Debi Prosad Dogra, Associate Professor, IIT Bhubaneswar also spoke on the occasion and motivated the participants.
The two-day workshop had various insightful sessions including Introduction to Open Innovation by Mr. Arindam Mukhopadhyay, Partner & Corporate Innovation Head, India Accelerator; Understanding of Start-ups and Startup Ecosystem by Mr. Deepak Sharma, Co-founder, India Accelerator and IA Labs; Open Innovation in Real World by Mr. Shantam Shukla, Industry Expert; Strategies to Collaborate by Mr. Nikhil Suthar, Lead Partnership, India Accelerator. The workshop also featured different panel discussions and group activities.
