Panjab University Hosts IIC Regional Meet 2025 in Collaboration with Innovation Cell, AICTE, MOE

Chandigarh November 28, 2025: Panjab University, Chandigarh, today hosted the Institution’s Innovation Council (IIC) Regional Meet 2025. More than 600 delegates from various colleges, institutes, and universities participated in the full day meet dedicated to the Northwestern Region, which was organised in collaboration with the Innovation Cell, AICTE, and the Ministry of Education.

The event hosted around 40 exhibition stalls, featuring innovative prototypes, startup pitches, science models, and entrepreneurial products. One of the standout attractions was the “Swadesh Udyami Bazaar,” organised under the theme Vocal for Local, which showcased indigenous products, traditional crafts, and community-led innovations. Initiatives like Swadeshi BODH and open interactive sessions further enhanced engagement and learning.

In her inaugural address, PU Vice Chancellor Professor Renu Vig highlighted the critical role universities play in shaping future innovators and emphasised the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration, experiential learning, and technology-enabled problem-solving. She applauded the efforts of IIC-PU for driving innovation-focused activities across departments and for ensuring that students gain access to national and global platforms. Her words set an inspiring tone for the event and reaffirmed PU’s vision of nurturing a dynamic and inclusive innovation culture.

PU Registrar Prof. Y.P. Verma motivated the students for innovation and called upon them to utilize their student period in all round development. He highlighted the growing economy of India, which is leading to huge opportunities for the new generation.

President IIC-PU, Professor Rohit Sharma outlined PU’s holistic approach to building a robust innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem. He highlighted the pivotal role of PU BioNEST, the E-YUVA Centre, and CIIPP in strengthening incubation support, technology transfer, and industry collaboration. Emphasising PU’s commitment to nurturing young innovators, he spoke about school outreach programs, idea discovery workshops, training modules, and initiatives designed to spark scientific curiosity from an early age.

In his special virtual address Chairman of AICTE, Professor T. G. Sitharam commended PU for its leadership in fostering research and entrepreneurship and underlined the importance of integrating innovation into teaching, learning, and institutional governance. Stressing real-world problem-solving, he urged HEIs to adopt interdisciplinary approaches, sustainability-driven innovation, and global benchmarking. Appreciating PU’s strong performance in national innovation rankings, he encouraged students to actively leverage AICTE–MIC initiatives to enhance creativity, technical competence, and entrepreneurial capability.

Dr. Dipan Sahu, Assistant Innovation Director at the Ministry of Education’s Innovation Cell, delivered an energetic and impactful address that deeply resonated with attendees. He emphasised building institution-led, structured innovation ecosystems and highlighted national platforms such as YUKTI, the National Innovation Repository, the Smart India Hackathon, and the IIC Star Rating Framework. Advocating measurable innovation outcomes, mentor-supported pre-incubation activities, societal impact projects, and community engagement, he urged students to innovate responsibly, think across disciplines, and approach innovation as a sustained journey of societal contribution.

In his remarks, Professor Akash Deep, Director (Additional Charge), emphasised the integration of modern pedagogy, research excellence, and innovation-driven learning. He acknowledged PU’s continuous leadership in strengthening incubation infrastructure and encouraged students to maximize available mentorship and collaborative resources.

A major highlight of the Meet was the active participation of over 125 school students from Chandigarh and nearby regions, along with around 10 accompanying teachers, reflecting the expansion of the IIC movement to the grassroots level. Students enthusiastically engaged with prototypes, startup exhibits, science models, and hands-on demonstrations, while teachers were offered specialized mentoring sessions. Parallel tracks were conducted to cater to different groups and activities, ensuring an enriched and customized learning experience.

The University’s selection as host reflects its sustained efforts in nurturing a strong innovation ecosystem supported by advanced pre-incubation facilities, robust IP infrastructure, dynamic industry linkages, and a vibrant culture of student-led creativity.