Nagaland University, Kohima Campus hosted Yogesh D Brahmankar, Innovation Director, Innovation Cell (MIC), Government of India; Dr Hirak Ranjan Das, Indovation Manager, AICTE; and Ashish Tripathi, Regional Coordinator, AICTE Innovation Cell, Guwahati on November 1 last.

The University said their presence and valuable insights greatly enriched the deliberations and served as a source of inspiration for Nagaland University’s academic community.

At the outset, the Pro Vice-Chancellor Prof N Venuh and the Dean, School of Engineering and Technology (SET) and Prof Sujata Dash, welcomed the distinguished guests and briefed them on the various innovation, incubation, and entrepreneurial activities being carried out by the Institution’s Innovation Council (IIC) at Nagaland University.

They highlighted the initiatives undertaken to promote creativity among students, participation in innovation challenges, and awareness programs on intellectual property rights and start-up culture.

The visiting dignitaries appreciated the efforts of the University in fostering a vibrant innovation ecosystem and encouraged faculty and students to actively engage in national programs such as the Smart India Hackathon (SIH), KAPILA for Patent Awareness, MIC–IIC–YUKTI Portal, AICTE’s IMPACT Program, and other AICTE schemes for funding, internships, and start-up support. They also emphasized the importance of organizing boot camps, school handholding activities, and promoting the use of the AICTE APNA Career Portal to enhance student employability and exposure.

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The IIC guests elaborately explained the various AICTE and IIC schemes available for higher educational institutions, particularly those in the North Eastern region. They discussed in detail the opportunities provided through the AICTE Internship Portal, Student Start-up Policy, National Innovation and Start-up Policy (NISP) framework, and the Mentor–Mentee Scheme, under which well-established institutions mentor developing universities to build their innovation capacity. They also highlighted initiatives such as SPICES, IDEA Lab, E-Learning Centers, and Atal Community Innovation Centers (ACIC), which aim to strengthen innovation infrastructure in universities.

Special mention was made of the supportive provisions and financial incentives available to North Eastern Universities, including dedicated funding windows, capacity-building workshops, and priority mentoring through IIC Guwahati Regional Office. The guests from AICTE–IIC Guwahati assured continued guidance and collaboration with Nagaland University to enhance participation in national-level innovation activities and to establish a stronger linkage with industry and start-up ecosystems.

The session concluded with a vote of thanks by the Convener, expressing gratitude to the visiting dignitaries for their detailed presentations, encouragement, and commitment to supporting innovation growth in Nagaland University and other institutions of the North Eastern region.