Empowering Student Innovators and Educators to Drive Change through Design Thinking and Entrepreneurship
Uvarsad, Gandhinagar September 06, 2024: Karnavati University, based in Uvarsad, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, in collaboration with the Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSEL) under the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and the Union Ministry of Education’s Innovation Cell (MIC), successfully hosted a two-day Innovation, Design, and Entrepreneurship (IDE) Bootcamp. Student innovators, teachers, and principals of PM SHRI Schools participated in the boot camp.
The Phase-1 of IDE Bootcamp for PM SHRI schools was held on September 4-5, at the sprawling campus of Karnavati University in Uvarsad, Gandhinagar, Gujarat. Karnavati University is a state private university dedicated to excellence in teaching and is focused on interdisciplinary learning.
The Wadhwani Foundation, renowned for its support of entrepreneurship education, was also one of the organising partners for the national-level event. It connected participants including students, faculty members and innovators from across 10 Indian states.
The boot camp was inaugurated by AICTE chairman, Professor TG Sitharam, Additional Secretary of DoSEL, Shri Vipin Kumar and AICTE vice chairman, Dr Abhay Jere.
Senior officials including Shri Mahesh Mehta, State Nodal Officer from SCERT/Samagra Shiksha, along with Shri Vikas Verma, Shri Shivendra Mani Tripathi from the MIC attended the inaugural ceremony as well subsequent sessions.
As part of the IDE Bootcamp, several immersive group activities, interactive workshops, and collaborative problem-solving exercises, were organised, encouraging participants to explore innovative business models and develop customer-centric products.
The idea behind organising the event was to nurture innovative thinking, design skills and entrepreneurial spirit among participants from secondary and senior secondary schools. Some 1,175 registrations were made for the bootcamp, and it engaged some 200 participants during hands-on learning sessions.
Representatives of Wadhwani Foundation guided and trained participants in subjects like product design, ergonomics design thinking and pitching skills to thrive in today’s dynamic business landscape.
Speaking at the session, Shri Mehta highlighted the importance of adopting a human-centric approach to problem-solving. In his address, the Registrar of Karnavati University, Dr Tariq Ali Saiyed, spoke about the bootcamp’s focus on equipping participants with the skills necessary to thrive in India’s fast-evolving entrepreneurial landscape.
This initiative has been undertaken by Karnavati University, in line with the Government of India’s vision of developing innovation and entrepreneurial skills among students.
Commenting on the event, Shri Ritesh Hada, president, Karnavati University, said, “It is a matter of great pride for us to host the IDE Bootcamp in collaboration with AICTE, the Union Ministry of Education, and the Wadhwani Foundation. At Karnavati University, we believe in fostering innovation and entrepreneurial thinking among students. The IDE Bootcamp not only provided a platform for young innovators to explore new ideas but also encouraged them to think creatively and come up with solutions that can make a tangible impact.”
