KSUM Launches IPL 2021 to Boost Innovation, Technology, Entrepreneurship

KOCHI:
Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) has launched a novel initiative as part of its flagship IEDC(Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Centre) programme, seeking to provide a gamified learning platform to student innovators and institutions to explore as well as experiment unconventional ideas.

Called Innovators Premier League (IPL) 2021, the endeavour comes in the wake of Chief Minister Shri Pinarayi Vijayan announcing an Innovation Challenge last weekend while inaugurating a Digital Hub at the KSUM’s Integrated Startup Complex in Kalamassery, 15 km north of this city. For details visit, https://iedc.startupmission.in/ipl

The League, which began on September 18, will witness activities in three distinct domains: innovation, technology and entrepreneurship. Spanning four months, the IPL will feature challenges besides hackathons, ideathons, innovation fairs, startup bootcamps and iTalks among others. The IPL will enable KSUM to identify and nurture 1,000 talented student innovators from Kerala and support in building business around their ideas.

Participating student innovators and IEDCs will earn innovation reward points that can be redeemed at the IEDC summit to be held in January next year. Best 100 innovators selected through this four-month IPL and 100 top innovators will get innovation grants. KSUM will support 1000 best innovators through mentoring, incubation business connect and fund top 100 innovators. Apart from this the best 100 innovators products will be showcased at IEDC summit

IPL aims to bring awareness and sensitization of IEDC, encourage activities among students, build a competitively entrepreneurial mindset among innovators and create a stronger pipeline of startups.

IPL will hold competitions for students and other talents in institutions — first at the college level, followed by regional level. These will be conducted under three major pillars: innovation, technology and entrepreneurship. The league competition runs on a scale where institutions and students can achieve points through conducting boot camps, workshops, startup generation and patents under various categories.

This IPL is slated to end on December 30 this year. A handful of the winners will get exposure to business tycoons and ecosystem enablers at the next IEDC Summit.

KSUM, as the state’s 2006-founded nodal agency for entrepreneurship development and incubation activities, has been primarily designated to establish and operate a Technology Innovation Zone as a global innovation incubator hub for various technology sectors. The Zone comprises incubators, accelerators, built-up start-up modules, centres of excellence, high-end fabrication labs, R&D lab facilities, office spaces and an amphitheatre.