CIE - Center for innovation and Entrepreneurship

Dr. Rajkumar Phatate

Professor & Head - Centre for Entrepreneurship & Innovation

At MEC, we want to create an environment where faculty and students work together to develop innovative technologies and ideas in various areas of technology to address global challenges of this era.

On the other hand, MEC would develop an entrepreneurial mind set among the students so that they could commercialize the technologies and ideas emerging as a result of faculty-student partnerships.

The Incubation Centre is spread over 2000 square feet that can accommodate 15 entrepreneurs. It is fully equipped to facilitate the process of starting, shaping and scaling up new innovative ventures resulting from student-faculty research. In addition to providing a creative working space, the incubation centre also provides mentoring support in technology and business development, legal aspects and IPR, funding support, networking and go-to-market strategy. The incubation centre features an air-conditioned working space with a seating capacity of 34, a conference room, a discussion area, visitor’s lounge, Wi-Fi connectivity, cafeteria and 24x7 security.

In addition, incubates have access to all labs, workshops and the seminar halls. At present, two student entrepreneurial teams are being incubated at the centre.

• Formulate a comprehensive Intellectual Property (IP) Policy for MEC with a view to encourage, enable and incentivise creative pursuits of faculty and students.
• Scientifically design entrepreneurship curriculum and blend it with engineering streams enabling students to develop an entrepreneurial mind set, skill set and tool set.
• Establish ‘state of the art’ incubation center facilitating students to launch their entrepreneurial ventures on one hand and help faculty to commercialize their technologies on the other.
• Network nationally and globally with start-up eco-systems like Science & Technology Parks (STPs), Incubators, Accelerators, Governments, Investors, Mentors and Society.

An institute like MEC with technological education leadership ambitions at a national level, needs to have a vibrant ‘Centre of Entrepreneurship & Innovation’ to:

• Challenge and exhort technical innovation skills among students and faculty.
• Potentially spawn new ventures which can add value and visibility to the Institute.
• Help in developing deeper linkages of the Institute and its defined Centers of Research Excellence with the prevailing industrial ecosystem which can serve as conduits to transfer internally-developed technologies to the industry and market.
• Develop a spirit of leadership, risk-taking and self-reliance among our students in the later stages of their time at the Institute.