ASPIRE-University of Hyderabad (UoH) with support from the Institution of Eminence (IoE) and DST-UoH-TEC has organized a two-day event “Building an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in Universities- Opportunities and Challenges” on 3rd and 4th February 2023. The event was inaugurated by Prof B.J. Rao, Vice Chancellor. Eminent speakers from academia and industry delivered informative talks and participated in the exciting panel discussions.
Prof. B J Rao
Prof. B J Rao in his welcome address said, “I am happy that this conference is happening at the university. NEP 2020 aligns well with Innovation. Innovation happens outside the classroom, Knowledge and content are available for all of us and connecting the dots is nothing but Innovation.”
Prof. T. Ramasami
In the inaugural address Prof. T. Ramasami, former Secretary of Department of Science & Technology (DST), emphasized the importance of inculcating the spirit of entrepreneurship in young minds and encouraging free thinking. He narrated the evolution of start-up culture in higher educational institutions and their contributions to the development of technologies.
Dr. S. Chandrasekhar
Prof. S. Chandrasekahar, Secretary DST, GoI mentioned the importance of building indigenous technologies for manufacturing key starting materials especially in pharma sector. Prof. D. Balasubramanian, Distinguished Scientist associated with L V Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI) gave an overview of the growth of Biotech industry in India and how our Indian Biotech industry caters to the national and global needs. Other experts from industry and academia; Dr Rajamannar, Dr. Anand Govinduluri and Prof G.D. Yadav share their experiences in their respective fields and the need of nurturing start-ups at higher educational institutions and current global scenarios. Eminent industry experts and successful entrepreneurs shared their experiences panel discussion on “Knowledge Economy– Role of Academics in nurturing innovative entrepreneurs”.
Dr. Krishna Ella
On the following day the event focussed on start-up ecosystems in IT, Healthcare and funding opportunities from government agencies for start-ups. Dr. Krishna Ella, Founder and Chairman, Bharath Biotech in his address explained about the Indian contributions to the vaccine development and how India became a global supplier of vaccines. Ms. Aprana, Secretary (Department of Pharmaceuticals GoI), Mr. Rajesh Kumar Pathak, Secretary – Technology Development Board (TDB), Dr. Anita Gupta (NSTEDB, DST), Dr. Manish Diwan (BIRAC, DBT) explained the success stories from their respective organizations and about the funding opportunities available.
Successful entrepreneurs, experts, venture capitalists, and industrialists shared their views and practical issues in a panel discussion on “Breaking stereotypes: Building successful enterprises”. Nearly 350 participants from various institutions and organisations in and around Hyderabad and the UoH attended this program for two days.
