Innovation No Longer Limited to IITs, Reaching Tier 2 and 3 Cities: AICTE Chairman

With growing emphasis on deeptech and AI, innovation is increasingly emerging from institutions in tier 2-3 cities, not just the IITs, said T.G. Sitharam, Chairman of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).

“Today, we have over 14,000 institutions under the umbrella of AICTE, and we've established more than 14,000 Institute Innovation Councils (IICs). A significant number of these councils are extremely active. To date, over 7,000 startups have emerged from these institutions, many of which were once dismissed as second- or third-tier engineering colleges,” said Sitharam.

“The kind of positive energy and innovation I witness is nothing short of inspiring. These young minds, especially from rural India, bring immense talent and fresh ideas. They speak confidently in their mother tongues, unafraid to express themselves, and their drive is contagious,” he added.

Sitharam also mentioned one of the challenges that after students land a job or get placed, many of them abandon their innovative ideas.

“To address this, we have launched a new initiative called the ‘Productization Fellowship’ ,a term we’ve coined for the very first time. This fellowship is designed to support young innovators who wish to take their ideas to the next level and turn them into actual products,” he informed.

“Under this scheme, we offer a full-year salary so that students can continue working on their innovation full-time, even after graduation,” AICTE Chairman added.

AICTE Chairman appealed to youngsters especially those in science, engineering, and technology to look beyond conventional job paths and consider deep-tech startups.

“India needs your ideas, your energy, and your commitment to innovation,” he said.