Institutions’ Innovation Council (IIC), Bhawanipur Anchalik College
The Ministry of Education (MoE), Government of India, has taken a significant step towards fostering innovation in higher education through the establishment of the MoE's Innovation Cell (MIC). With a clear mandate to encourage, inspire, and nurture young students to work with new ideas, MIC plays a pivotal role in shaping a culture of innovation across all higher education institutions (HEIs). Through the network of institutions's Innovation Councils (IICs), MIC facilitates the promotion of innovation and entrepreneurship within campuses, creating a dynamic ecosystem conducive to innovation. As of December 2021, MIC has successfully established Institution's Innovation Councils in over 2700 institutions, laying the foundation for a vibrant innovation landscape in Indian higher education.
During the academic year 2022–23, Bhawanipur Anchalik College (BAC) established the Institution's Innovation Council (IIC) in accordance with the guidelines of the Innovation Cell, MoE, Government of India. The mandate of the IIC is to promote various activities pertaining to innovation, intellectual property rights (IPR), startups, and entrepreneurship within the institute. The council's committee, comprised of the head, faculty members, and students, has been actively involved in planning quarterly activities and reviewing their implementation. These activities include regular meetings and interactions with notable entrepreneurs and academicians, providing students with valuable opportunities to nurture their ideas and entrepreneurial spirit.
The IIC is currently functioning as per the mission, vision, and objectives given below.
Mission:
1. To develop a vibrant local innovation ecosystem with required infrastructure that can enable students and faculty members to innovate and prototype their ideas with industrial standards and support from the Govt., industry and reputed academic institutions around the nation.
2. To create start-up/ entrepreneurship supporting mechanism in HEIs.
3. To prepare institute for Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements Framework (ARIIA).
4. To facilitate functioning of ecosystem for scouting ideas and pre-incubation of ideas.
5. To develop better cognitive ability amongst the students.
Vision:
1. To cater to the needs of students as well as faculty entrepreneurship with innovative ideas of social relevance and there by disseminating a culture of entrepreneurship in campus which will boost the education system and there by growing the national economic and social development.
Objectives:
1. Students as well as faculty associated with IICs will have exclusive opportunity to participate in various Innovation related initiatives and competitions organized from institution level to international level.
2. Experiment with new technologies.
3. Visit new place and see new culture.
4. Mentoring by professionals from industry.
5. Opportunity to nurture and prototype new ideas.
The governance responsibilities of the IIC are bestowed upon the following fraternity of Bhawanipur Anchalik College:
1. Principal of the College (Chairperson)
2. Vice-Principal of the College (Vice-Chairperson)
3. Dr. Hafizur Rahman (Coordinator)
4. Dr. Vivek Baruah Thapa (Assistant Coordinator)
5. IQAC Coordinator (Member)
6. Dr. Amalesh Kumar Dutta (Member)
7. Dr. Priyanka Kalita (Member)
8. Ms. Mami Das (Member)
Below are a few activities organized by the IIC of Bhawanipur Anchalik College.
1. A Talk on Entrepreneurship: A special lecture program was held on August 24, 2023, featuring Dr. Malay Kalita, an assistant professor from the Department of Economics, who spoke on the topic "Entrepreneurship and Its Impact on Employment." The lecture, held in the Seminar Hall of Bhawanipur Anchalik College, highlighted the significance of such events in providing a platform for intellectual exploration and nurturing future thinkers, innovators, and leaders.
2. Celebration of the World Entrepreneurship Day: BAC, Bhawanipur, celebrated World Entrepreneurs' Day on August 28, 2023, with a special lecture delivered by Mr. Bedanta Kakati, co-founder of Doofies, an online food and grocery delivery platform based in Pathsala, Barpeta, Assam. The event, held at the Seminar Hall of Bhawanipur Anchalik College, garnered significant attention within the institution's community. Mr. Kakati's insights and experiences provided students with valuable strategies to navigate entrepreneurial concepts, leaving them deeply inspired and enriched with newfound knowledge.
Future Planned Activities: The IIC is poised to continue its activities in the future, with particular emphasis on the following areas:
1. Organize short training programmes on entrepreneurship to provide hands-on experience.
2. Brainstorming sessions for students to incubate new start-up ideas.
3. Invited talks from experts in the field of entrepreneurship.
4. Financial support competitions on start-up ideas.