LJ Innovation Village serves as a platform to exhibit the ingenuity of innovators through innovative projects, products, and start-ups. This initiative not only provides innovators with a chance to engage with students, faculty, industry experts, and investors but also brings forth the hidden creativity of students, fostering skill enhancement and overall innovative development.
In today's education system, the buzzwords are often "innovation" and "creativity." Encouraging these qualities in ourselves and our students is crucial. Reimers-Hild and King (2009) identified innovation components as fun, creative, diverse, collaborative, and intuitive. While Nobel laureates may define innovation differently, the consensus is that an idea must be replicable and economically scalable. Innovation is a dynamic process that spans the life cycle of a product or service, from ideation to commercialization, contributing to society's utility.
The additions and deletions made during this process define the creative instinct of the innovator, and an innovative ecosystem emerges from risk-taking and entrepreneurial thinking.
To cultivate youth skills, LJ Innovation Village has been an annual event since 2013, held in January-February. Over 1500 projects, presented by more than 6000 students across various disciplines, have been showcased. Students identify social problems, propose innovative solutions, and develop relevant projects, mentored and evaluated by industry experts. The best projects progress to the next stage, Start-up Week 24 x 7.
The inaugural edition in 2013 by LJ Polytechnic featured 40 technical projects and over 100 posters presented by 150 students. Subsequent editions witnessed increased participation, with the latest event in 2020 featuring over 250 projects and products presented by 1100 participants. Distinguished figures, including Anandiben Patel and Prof. Anil Sahasrabudhe, have inaugurated these events.
These annual gatherings provide a platform for students to exhibit their talents, fostering innovation and preparing them for entrepreneurship. LJ Innovation Village has evolved into a grand success, attracting thousands of visitors, and serving as a catalyst for the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs. The well-organized projects, extensive participation, grand hospitality, logistics, and food arrangement have made these events a resounding success, extensively covered by leading electronic and print media.
