Innovation and entrepreneurship, which are buzzwords today, are drivers of economic growth and societal development across the globe, speakers said at a five-day Faculty Development Program (FDP) which kicked off at the SOA Deemed-to-be University in Bhubaneswar on Monday, July 21.

“The need for innovation is all pervasive and if we are not innovating we are not doing anything,” Pradeep Ghoshal, Head, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) of Tata Power Central Odisha Distribution Limited (TPCODL), said while speaking at the inaugural program of the FDP on Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

The FDP has been organised by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and Ministry of Education’s Innovation Cell (MIC) and hosted by the Institute of Business and Computer Studies (IBCS), faculty of management sciences of SOA.

Ghoshal said if a company stopped innovating, it will disappear as had happened in case of Kodak which was globally known for making cameras. “Innovations are happening everyday and people can turn them into enterprise,” he said, stated a press release from the institute.

Punjab sold the maximum number of washing machines which were utilised for making Lassi which was an example of innovative use of a product, he said adding jugads, which are popular in the Indian context are also instances of innovation.

SOA Vice-Chancellor Prof Pradipta Kumar Nanda said faculty members in educational institutions, who were responsible for imparting knowledge earlier, were now required to come forward with innovative ideas and encourage students to think.

Prof Anup Kumar Samantaray, Pro-Vice Chancellor of SOA, said innovation was necessary for successful entrepreneurship. It helps entrepreneurs to identify opportunities, he said.

Prof Ayasa Kanta Mohanty, Dean of IBCS, stressed the need for bringing innovation into the class rooms while describing the FDP as a platform to learn and empower the participants.

Prof Jyoti Ranjan Das, SOA’s Dean (Students’ Welfare) and Coordinator of the program, said representatives of 28 higher educational institutions across Odisha were participating in the FDP. Dr Sasmita Pattnaik, Associate Professor, IBCS, proposed the vote of thanks.