KSUM Opens LEAP Centres on Three Campuses in State

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:
Giving a major fillip to the pioneering project to facilitate young innovators to use co-working spaces at minimal cost, Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM)recently opened three LEAP centres in as many campuses across the state, including the first such facility to be located at a medical college.

These facilities include the first LEAP (Launch, Empower, Accelerate and Prosper) centre at iNEST (BIRAC BioNEST) incubation centre at Dr Moopen’s Medical College at Meppadi in Wayanad district.

The other two LEAP centres were opened at Al Ameen College, Edathala, Kochi, and Adi Shankara Institute of Engineering and Technology, Kalady.

“The agreement signed with these three colleges will significantly help the fledgling startups to innovate and grow by leveraging the advanced facilities available at these campuses at minimum cost,” KSUM CEO Anoop Ambika said.

The opening of LEAP in these three colleges marked the beginning of a strategic shift to eventually bring all incubation centres in the state within the ambit of LEAP, which will ensure greater access to co-working spaces for fledgling startups at affordable cost.

The facility at Dr Moopen’s iNEST, will offer great opportunity for MedTech and digital healthcare startups, in their transformative phases, he said.

Dr Moopen’s iNEST is a state-of-the-art bio-incubator established with the support of BIRAC (Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council). Fostering deeptech research and high-tech innovations, Dr Moopen’s iNEST is dedicated to nurturing startups that contribute to enhanced patient care, aiming to transform Kerala into a leading healthcare innovation hub.

The facility offers immense opportunities for startups related to specialised domains such as cancer biology, biomedical devices, invitro diagnostics and personalised medicine, said LEAP Coordinator Arun Girisan were among those present.

The KSUM’s LEAP recognition for Al-Ameen College’s entrepreneurial and incubation centre AIS Space was handed over to AIS Space Director Dr Sini Kurien by Anoop Ambika. The incubation space has been allotted to startups registered with KSUM.

On the occasion, KSUM CEO had an interactive session with the students, focussing on the challenges to be overcome by the fledgling entrepreneurs.

The LEAP Centre at Adi Shankara Institute of Engineering and Technology offers a comprehensive support system for manufacturing and production oriented startups, providing essential resources at minimal cost.

The startups at the centre benefit from free electricity, incubation space, Wi-Fi, ensuring a seamless and secure environment to focus on innovations. Also, the centre provides advanced facilities and equipment for enhancing capabilities for the startups to thrive, innovate and grow without the burden of excessive cost.

KSUM is the Kerala government’s nodal agency established in 2006 for entrepreneurship development and incubation activities in the state.