Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], July 27 (ANI): The Himachal Pradesh Council for Science, Technology and Environment (HIMCOSTE), in collaboration with the Technology Development Board (TDB), Government of India, on Monday organised a one-day workshop titled 'Atmanirbhar Yatra Himachal Chapter' at the state Secretariat to strengthen the state's startup ecosystem by connecting researchers, innovators and entrepreneurs with industry, funding agencies and government institutions.

The workshop brought together scientists, startup founders, researchers, representatives of universities, incubation centres, industries, MSMEs, self-help groups and NGOs to discuss ways of transforming research and innovative ideas into commercially viable products while promoting innovation-led economic growth in Himachal Pradesh.

Speaking to ANI, Suresh Atri, Environment Scientist, Department of Environment, Science, Technology and Climate Change, Himachal Pradesh, said the initiative was aimed at bridging the gap between scientific research and industry by creating opportunities for innovators to commercialise their ideas.

'The vision of the Chief Minister is to ensure that researchers and innovators in Himachal Pradesh receive the right opportunities to convert innovative ideas into successful startups. Our objective is to support them from the concept stage to commercialisation so that research benefits society, creates employment opportunities and contributes to the vision of an Atmanirbhar Bharat,' Atri said.

He highlighted the role of the Technology Development Board (TDB) in promoting technology-based startups through financial support and mentoring, saying that several successful Indian technology ventures, including those in the space sector, had benefited from such institutional support.

Atri said Himachal Pradesh has enormous potential for mountain-specific technologies, but many research projects fail to reach the market because of inadequate industry linkages.

'There is no shortage of innovative ideas among our young researchers. The real challenge is connecting these ideas with industries, funding agencies and markets. This workshop provides an important platform to take innovations from laboratories to commercial markets,' he said.

He added that HIMCOSTE intends to support patent filing, startup creation, MSME linkages and collaborations among universities, IITs, NITs, research institutions and industry partners to build a robust innovation ecosystem in the state.

Among the participants was Anshul Sharma, a student entrepreneur from IIT Mandi, who showcased an AI-based Internet of Things (IoT) Landslide Monitoring System, developed as part of his startup.

Speaking to ANI, Sharma said the startup is already working with several government organisations and that the workshop provided valuable guidance on converting laboratory research into commercially successful products.

'Our startup has developed an AI-based IoT landslide monitoring system. We are already working with a number of government organisations. The primary objective of today's workshop was to understand how we can take a laboratory innovation to the commercial stage and develop it into a complete business solution,' Sharma said.

He said the sessions helped participants understand the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) framework and the process of scaling an innovation from an early-stage prototype to a market-ready product.

'We gained valuable knowledge about what problems actually need to be solved, how different ministries and government departments coordinate with each other, and how startups can collaborate with them. This understanding will help us expand our startup and eventually take it to the global market,' he said.

Sharma said such workshops also help innovators understand the functioning of state and central government departments and improve coordination between startups and public institutions.

'These programmes help us understand how different government departments work together. That coordination is essential for startups because it enables innovators to access the right support systems and move their technologies forward more effectively,' he added.

Speaking to ANI, Pushpendra Rana, Special Secretary and Member Secretary, Department of Environment, Science, Technology and Climate Change, Himachal Pradesh, said the workshop was conceived to build stronger institutional and industrial linkages so that technologies developed in research laboratories could successfully reach the marketplace.

'Our objective is to connect innovators, particularly those working in the MSME sector, with research institutions, incubation centres and industries so that technologies developed in laboratories can be commercialised. This will help innovators generate income, strengthen the local economy and scale up their products,' Rana said.

He said the event brought together stakeholders from industries, universities, incubation centres, startups, self-help groups and non-governmental organisations from across the state, creating a collaborative platform for innovation and knowledge sharing.

Rana said the Department of Environment, Science, Technology and Climate Change would continue supporting innovators through technical guidance, institutional partnerships and financial assistance.

'This is a continuous process. Any innovator in Himachal Pradesh who wishes to take an innovation from the laboratory to the field can approach the Department of Science and Technology. We are committed to providing technical support, facilitating funding and helping innovators take their products to the market,' he said.

He said the Atmanirbhar Yatra Himachal Chapter initiative seeks to accelerate technology commercialisation, strengthen academia-industry partnerships and build an innovation-driven entrepreneurial ecosystem that supports sustainable economic growth and employment generation in Himachal Pradesh. (ANI)