‘Student projects should extend beyond classrooms to serve the larger society’

Professor at Poojya Doddappa Appa College of Engineering, Kalaburagi, Jayashree Agarkhed has stressed that student projects should extend beyond classrooms as products that serve the larger society.

She was addressing students after inaugurating a one-day workshop on Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) and Technology Transfer organised at the Visvesvaraya Technological University Regional Centre here.

The programme was jointly conducted by the Ministry of Education’s Innovation Cell, AICTE, Visvesvaraya Research and Innovation Foundation (VRIF) and the Karnataka State Council for Science and Technology (KSCST) in association with the VTU Regional Centre.

Dr. Agarkhed observed that although colleges produce thousands of projects every year, very few reach the stage of real-world application. “If India has to strengthen its innovation ecosystem and compete globally, our efforts must be directed towards converting ideas into products,” she added.

Workshop coordinator Girish Vittal Badiger pointed out that the government is extending strong support to research and innovation through schemes like the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), DISHA programme and the National Quantum Mission.

He noted that while resources are being made available, the pace of technology development is still slow due to lack of sustained interest. “We need to build awareness, practical knowledge and close partnerships between academia and industry if we want our research to have real-world impact,” he said.

Regional Director of VTU Regional Centre Shubhangi D.C. reminded the audience that innovation is not just about creating new ideas but is also about protecting, sharing and transforming ideas for the greater good of society.

“Intellectual Property Rights form the bridge that can turn ideas into reality. With patents in AI and advanced technologies rising rapidly across the world, India too must step up to stay ahead,” she added.