Vice Chancellor, Sri Sri University, Cuttack, Odisha
Sri Sri University, Cuttack, recipient of the Special Jury Award at the Sustainability Karma Campus Leadership Awards 2026, is recognised for Srinovation, its student-led innovation ecosystem supporting ideation, prototyping, entrepreneurship, intellectual property development, startup creation and real-world problem solving across disciplines.
Sri Sri University’s Srinovation has established a vibrant student-led innovation ecosystem that nurtures problem-solving, entrepreneurship and interdisciplinary collaboration. Bringing together students from engineering, management, healthcare, agriculture, yoga and other disciplines, the platform enables learners to transform ideas into practical solutions with social and commercial impact.
Operating through the Institution’s Innovation Council, Student Tech Teams and Student Subject Matter Expert (SME) groups, Srinovation supports every stage of the innovation journey, from ideation and prototyping to intellectual property development, business feasibility and startup creation. Regular hackathons, ideathons, founder interactions and innovation clinics encourage students to tackle real-world challenges through collaborative learning.
The initiative has created a strong culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, supporting scalable technologies, startup incubation and community impact. By connecting academia with industry, farmers and government partners, Srinovation equips students with the knowledge, skills and confidence to become future innovators and changemakers.
Description
Srinovation provides an integrated platform that promotes innovation, entrepreneurship and research through interdisciplinary collaboration and student-led problem solving.
Key activities include:
- Institution’s Innovation Council (IIC).
- Student Tech Teams and Student SME groups.
- Monthly ideation and problem-identification sessions.
- Hackathons, ideathons, lecture series and Idea Clinics.
- Product prototyping and design support.
- Intellectual property filing and business feasibility studies.
- Startup mentoring and entrepreneurship development.
- Cross-disciplinary collaboration involving students from multiple faculties.
Objectives
The initiative aims to:
- Foster innovation, entrepreneurship and interdisciplinary collaboration.
- Develop students’ problem-solving and critical thinking abilities.
- Support research, prototyping and technology development.
- Encourage intellectual property creation and startup development.
- Equip students to address societal and technological challenges through innovation.
Innovation
The initiative offers an end-to-end, student-centred innovation ecosystem that integrates ideation, mentoring, prototyping, incubation and commercialisation within a single framework. By connecting the Institution’s Innovation Council, Idea Lab, Startup Clinic and incubation support, Srinovation enables students to progress seamlessly from concept development to market-ready solutions while promoting multidisciplinary collaboration and entrepreneurial thinking.
Outcomes
The initiative has created a thriving innovation ecosystem with measurable academic, entrepreneurial and societal impact.
Key achievements include:
- More than 250 student members working on innovation projects across multiple Technology Readiness Levels.
- Over 140 startups graduated from University incubators.
- Supply chain networks connecting more than 20,000 farmers.
- Portfolio startups generating employment for over 5,000 people.
- Collective startup revenues exceeding ₹100 crore.
- Strengthened student participation in innovation, entrepreneurship and research.
Scalability
The initiative provides a flexible and replicable framework for building innovation ecosystems within higher education institutions.
Its scalable components include:
- Institution-wide innovation governance.
- Student-led ideation and entrepreneurship programmes.
- Integrated incubation and startup support.
- Industry, government and community partnerships.
- Technology-enabled research and product development.
- Innovation-linked academic and mentoring frameworks.
By combining structured innovation processes with interdisciplinary learning and strong external partnerships, Srinovation offers a scalable model for universities seeking to foster entrepreneurship, research and sustainable innovation while preparing students to solve real-world challenges.
