Jalandhar, July 11
Driving a massive shift toward campus-led startups and industrial synergy, the CT Group of Institutions, Maqsudan Campus, has successfully wrapped up a high-impact, one-week hybrid Faculty Development Programme titled “Empowering Innovation and Entrepreneurship.” The marquee event was organized by the Department of Computer Applications and the Department of Research in strategic collaboration with the Technology Business Incubator Foundation (TBIF), IIT Ropar, and the Business Incubation Centre (BIC), I.K. Gujral Punjab Technical University (IKGPTU).
In a bid to bridge the gap between academic theory and real-world execution, the initiative’s highlight was an exclusive exposure visit to the Technology Business Incubator Foundation at IIT Ropar. Participants were given first hand access to cutting-edge incubation infrastructure, advanced innovation facilities, and robust startup support mechanisms. The faculty members engaged in direct interactive sessions with active startup founders, gaining invaluable, practical insights into how a world-class incubation ecosystem functions. This immersive experience was designed to empower educators to replicate similar innovation blueprints back within their own host institutions.
The primary objective of the five-day collective was to arm educators, researchers, and academic leaders with the precise toolkits required to nurture a thriving startup culture in Higher Education Institutions. The comprehensive curriculum focused heavily on incubation management, establishing campus incubation centres, intellectual property rights, technology commercialisation, investor readiness, and navigating various government startup funding schemes.
Throughout the week, an elite roster of industry pioneers and startup mentors delivered interactive sessions. The distinguished resource persons included Karuna Kanwar, CEO of TBIF-IIT Ropar, alongside Dr. Ashish Arora, CA Sahil Makkar, Anima Mishra, Dr. M. S. Bedi and Dr. Kavita Singla, who collectively provided the blueprint for effective design thinking and entrepreneurial mentoring.
Reflecting on the success of the initiative, CT Group Executive Director Dr. Nitin Tandon emphasized that continuous learning and industry-academia collaboration are the absolute bedrocks of strong innovation ecosystems, noting that programmes like this explicitly prepare faculty to mentor the next generation of disruptive innovators.
Adding to this, Dr. Anurag Sharma, Director Campus, stated that the Faculty Development Programme reflects the institution’s unyielding commitment to promoting innovation, research, and entrepreneurship. He reiterated that CT Group will continue to build pathways that strengthen faculty capabilities and catalyze an innovation-driven academic environment.
The programme concluded with a valedictory ceremony where certificates were awarded to the successful participants. The event marked a renewed, long-term commitment by the CT Group, IIT Ropar, and IKGPTU to collaboratively fuel the academia-industry-government pipeline, effectively turning academic campuses into powerful launch pads for the nation’s future entrepreneurs.