Meghalaya: NEHU department hosts awareness programme to boost regional innovation and start-ups

The Entrepreneurship Development Cell (EDC) of the North Eastern Hill University (NEHU) organised a one-day Entrepreneurship Awareness Programme (EAP) aimed at fostering an entrepreneurial mindset in the region by reinforcing the existing ecosystem that promotes and nurtures innovation and start-ups. 

Organised in collaboration with PRIME Hub, Government of Meghalaya, the event attracted enthusiastic participation from students, entrepreneurs, academicians, and researchers from various higher education institutions in the East Khasi Hills district, on August 14. 

The event was supported by the North Eastern Council (NEC), Shillong, with the Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship (IIE), Guwahati, serving as its nodal agency under the initiative "Establish, Develop and Manage Entrepreneurship Development Centers (EDCs) and Incubation Centers (ICs) in the Educational Institutes of North Eastern Region."
 
Distinguished professionals from academia, industry, and start-ups engaged in in-depth discussions with participants, exploring plans and ideas for initiating entrepreneurial activities in the region and provided insights on how to make businesses viable and sustainable in the long term. 

The event saw close to 50 participants, out of which the top 10 ideas were selected for incubation. The selected participants will have the opportunity to attend a week-long Entrepreneurship Development Programme (EDP) boot-camp scheduled for October 2024.

In his welcome address, Dinesh Bhatia, Project Leader of EDC, emphasised the significance of such government initiatives in nurturing young minds and creating a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem in the region and the state. He encouraged the attendees to extend the benefits of these government-sponsored programs to college drop-outs and unemployed youth in their respective institutions, fostering an entrepreneurial and empowering culture.

Laxmi Rao, Adviser at PRIME Hub, spoke about the challenges faced by entrepreneurs and provided strategies for overcoming the constant stress and struggles involved in running a business, while Jefferson Rani and Gladeen Shulai from PRIME Hub, Government of Meghalaya, along with Dr. Bhatia, interacted with participants to discuss their ideas and business development models. 

They provided feedback on the feasibility and sustainability of the participants' business ideas, offering remedial solutions and suggestions for further exploration.

The Centre has plans to organise two more Entrepreneurship Awareness Programmes in September 2024 at St. Anthony’s College and St. Mary’s College, Shillong, continuing its mission to promote entrepreneurship across the region.