Be models for world, Education Minister C Raveendranath tells varsities

Kottayam: Education Minister Prof. C. Raveendranath has asked the universities in the state to become world models through innovations with a slogan ‘From laboratories to society.” He was inaugurating the project, ‘From laboratories to industry,’ of the Business Innovation and Incubation Centre of Mahatma Gandhi University in the School of Pure and Applied Physics on Friday. “The state is a model in general education sector in several aspects but it lags behind in higher education,” he said.

"Sophisticated Infrastructure or hi-fi front offices are not indicators of quality standards. The knowledge generated from the laboratories should be beneficial to society," he said. “From laboratory to industry is of course the first step and a model to be emulated. And an eco-system ideal for the business and technology incubation is needed," he added. “But that is not the final goal. Society is spending money to teach all of us. Therefore, we are duty-bound to pay it back to society. It should be in the form of new ideas to improve the well being of society," he said.

MG University Vice-Chancellor Dr Babu Sebastian, who presided over the function, said the Science Park and the Fab Lab facilities will provide ideal ecosystem for business innovation and incubation.Pro Vice-Chancellor Prof. Sabu Thomas, Registrar M.R. Unni, syndicate members P.K. Harikumar, Prof A.M. Thomas, Dr K. Sherafuddin, and BIIC Director Dr. R. Gireeshkumar spoke.