Bhubaneswar: Odisha’s innovation and start-up ecosystem received a major boost with Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan (SOA) Deemed to be University receiving Grant-in-Aid sanction from Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog – an India government initiative — for establishing the Atal Incubation Centre – SOA (AIC-SOA) Foundation.
SOA will thus become the third Atal Incubation Centre in Odisha, marking a significant stride toward realising the ‘Vikshit Bharat 2047′ vision through innovation-led entrepreneurship.
A gathering was organised to celebrate the prestigious grant, at the AIC Board Room, where Vice-Chancellor Prof. Pradipta Kumar Nanda shared the university’s journey — from the stage of application for grant to successful sanction — and applauded the efforts of the faculty members and leadership who played key roles in the process.
Prof. Nanda highlighted the visionary guidance of SOA Founder President Prof. (Dr) Manojranjan Nayak, whose commitment to research, innovation and entrepreneurship steered the university towards becoming a national leader in innovation-driven education.
Prof. Manas Kumar Mallick, Director, AIC-SOA Foundation, graced the occasion, emphasising that the newly-approved incubation centre will work to foster entrepreneurship across Odisha and eastern India by supporting startups in HealthTech, AgriTech, Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning, CleanTech and Social Innovation sectors.
