PU Tech Innovation Forum signs MoU with AICTE to establish Indovation Centre in Chandigarh

Chandigarh, October 6, 2026: The PU Tech Innovation Forum (PU-TIF), Panjab University, Chandigarh, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) for establishing an Indovation Centre at the university.
The MoU was signed at the AICTE Headquarters in New Delhi by Prof Shyam Rath, Member Secretary, AICTE, on behalf of the council, and PU Registrar Prof Yajvender Pal Verma, on behalf of the PU. Prof Yogesh Singh, Chairman, AICTE, and Prof Rohit Sharma, Director, PU-TIF, Chandigarh, were present on the occasion.
One month earlier, the Vice-President of India and ex-officio Chancellor of Panjab University, Shri C. P. Radhakrishnan, had inaugurated the Tech Innovation Forum on September 4. The proposed Indovation Centre builds on this platform by extending its focus to regional capacity-building, emerging technologies, intellectual property and commercialisation of research.
Welcoming the initiative, PU Vice Chancellor Prof Meenakshi Goyal said the proposed Indovation Centre will function as a regional hub in Chandigarh, with outreach across the North-Western States and Union Territories. It will focus on strengthening the start-up and innovation ecosystem and building capabilities in emerging areas such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Industry 4.0, cybersecurity, deep-tech and technology transfer. The establishment of the Indovation Centre is expected to contribute to future-ready skill development, stronger IPR and technology transfer mechanisms, and the growth of innovative start-ups and technology-led enterprises in the North-Western region, she added.
The initiative will also support innovation in the life sciences sector, with emphasis on technology development, transfer and licensing. It is intended to strengthen the capacity of students, faculty members and researchers to develop, protect and commercialise intellectual property and translate research outcomes into technologies, products and enterprises.
A key focus of the Centre will be to promote intellectual property generation, protection and commercialisation, as well as entrepreneurship outcomes from Institutions’ Innovation Councils (IICs). The Centre is also expected to facilitate the development of functional Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) and Technology Transfer Cells across the region.
The initiative will seek to bring together innovation-driven institutions and facilitate collaboration among academia, industry, start-ups, innovators and other stakeholders. This is expected to improve the visibility and reach of the North-Western regional innovation ecosystem and create greater opportunities for knowledge exchange, technology development and commercialisation.
The MoU provides a framework for long-term collaboration between AICTE and Panjab University and is expected to strengthen the outreach and implementation of innovation-related initiatives in the region.