Pratham Mittal, Head of New Initiative, 27, a second generation entrepreneur transforming Lovely Professional University to a hub of entrepreneurship discusses about the need of research parks
Q. How would you describe your entrepreneurial journey?
When I joined LPU, I felt the need to bring in a change in the areas of innovative learning. After careful planning and discussion, it led us to approach education practically. This paved the way to departments of Ed-tech initiatives, new investments, and IP & resource commercialization. These departments represent learning by doing and evolved into centers of new innovation in education.
Q. How do you plan to commercialize student R&D to bring university patents?
Each department has a multitude of projects that are supervised by various professors and local industries. Many projects have the potential to scale positively in the commercial market space. However, not many are able to launch their venture in the market. They either lack commercial guidance or they fail to attract suitable investors at the right time. My role is to provide guidance, right investment strategies, and required industrial support to take innovations to the market. Two of the many student initiatives that have the potential to go commercial are Flying Farmer- a drone technology and solar powered driverless bus.
Agri courses are not limited to just theory but also enable the students to explore their entrepreneurial side as well: MSC Agriculture student, ShankySungroya, has launched his own agri-venture, Green Grocer.
Two of the many student initiatives that have the potential to go commercial are Flying Farmer- a drone technology and solar powered driverless bus.
Q. How has Agriculture Research Park helped students?
LPU has a huge 300 acre Agri park. Students have the potential to conduct large scale experiments on genetic modification and other high yield cultivation methods. The Agri courses are not limited to just theory but also enable the students to explore their entrepreneurial side as well. One of the best examples is of the MSC Agriculture student, ShankySungroya, who has launched his own agri-venture, Green Grocer.
Green Grocer sells the fresh produce from LPU’s Agri Park. The shop was set up within the campus and it sells fresh fruits and vegetables to students and faculty. Green Grocer over the last 8 months has moved from a B2C model to a hybrid model with 40 percentof the revenue coming from B2B.
Q. What are the necessary steps to bridge the academia-industry gap?
It is imperative to be proactive. We must reach out, engage & have collaborations with the industry. As I mentioned previously, the new initiatives department collaborates with various industries to prepare and make students industry ready.
- Training & Internships
- Industry Projects Industry Certification
