Need to overcome gap between industry and academia: Dir NIT Srinagar
SRINAGAR: The two day national workshop on Design Component under MSME innovative scheme in collaboration with Innovation began Monday at SKICC Srinagar. During the function speakers vowed to overcome the gap between industry and academia in the region.
The workshop is being jointly organized by Branch Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) DFO Srinagar Kashmir in association with Incubation & Entrepreneurship Development Centre (IIEDC) National Institute of Technology (NIT) Srinagar.
The inaugural function of the event was presided over by Director NIT Srinagar, Prof. (Dr.) Rakesh Sehgal, Director General EDI, Director, Ajaz Ahamed Bhatt, Director Handicraft & Handloom, Mehmood Ahmad Shah, were ‘Guest of Honor’ on the occasion.
The other dignitaries include Registrar NIT Srinagar, Prof. Syed Kaiser Bukhari, Asst. Director, Head IIEDC, Dr. Saad Parvez, Br. MSME DFO, Srinagar Saheel Alaqband IEDS, President Industrial Estate, Syed Afaq Qadri, PHDCCI Kashmir Vicky Shaw and Dr. Dinesh Kumar R., Program Coordinator MSME Design Scheme.
Director NIT Srinagar, Dr. Rakesh Sehgal said that there is a need to overcome the gap between industry and academia by fostering stronger partnerships and collaborations.
“Collaborations will lead development of new products, technologies, and services that can drive economic growth and benefit society as a whole. The relationship between academia and industry is important for driving innovation and economic growth,” he said.
Prof. Segal said organizing such workshops are critical for generating new knowledge, building new infrastructure, and educating innovators and entrepreneurs.
In his presidential address, Institute’s Registrar, Prof. Syed Kaiser Bukhari said youth should become job creators rather than job seekers. There is a need for determination, not money, to become successful game changers in society, he said.
“Despite being one of largest apple producers in the country, we have not been able to set up an apple processing plant in Kashmir,” Prof. Bukhari said, adding that NIT Srinagar will continue to provide support for young innovators in the region.
Prof. Bukhari said NIT Srinagar is the implementing agency of MSME Innovative Scheme and the institute has received various projects over the past several years. People can come and use the infrastructure of NIT Srinagar and make things easy for common people, he said.
Director, Entrepreneurship Development Institute (JKEDI), Ajaz Ahmad Bhat said that they are aimed to create a sustainable entrepreneurship ecosystem in J&K. We are offering a number of schemes to empower youth and are ready to offer any support, he said.
“Academic researchers can share their expertise and knowledge with industry partners, while industry partners can provide real-world problems and challenges that can inform academic research,” Director EDI said.
Director, Handloom and Handicrafts, Mehmood Ahmad Shah said that the handicrafts sector is among the oldest industries of Kashmir. We have around 3.30 lakh artisan’s associated with the department and provide direct and indirect employment to hundreds of people in the region, he said.