ReportofroundtablemeetingofVice-ChancellorsofalluniversitiesofGujaratchairedbyHonourableMinisterofEducation,ShriBhupendrasinhChudasama

Date:August21,2015Time:4:00PMto6:15PMVenue:SyndicateRoom,1stFloor,GujaratUniversity,Ahmedabad

(ListofkeypointsdiscussedisattachedasAnnexureI)(ListofparticipantspresentisattachedasAnnexureII)OnFriday,August21,2015,theVice-ChancellorofGujaratUniversity,Dr.MNPatel,hostedameetingofVice-ChancellorsofallpublicandprivateuniversitiesofGujarat.ThemeetingwaschairedbyHon.MinisterofEducation,ShriBhupendrasinhChudasama.The crucial role of state government and universities to support student startups &entrepreneurshipwasdiscussedbyallattendees,which includedsenior-mostgovernmentofficials including the Commissioner for Higher Education, District Development Officer(Ahmedabad),over25Vice-Chancellors/representativesofuniversities,amongstothers.Consideringtherecentboominstartups&entrepreneursacrossthecountryandtherisingjobcrunch,theGujaratUniversityVice-ChancellorproposedanequalpartnershipbetweenthestategovernmentandalluniversitiesofGujarattodevelopcommonpolicies,frameworksandmechanismstosupportandnurturestudentstartups&entrepreneurs.“Thestategovernmentandmyministrywilltakeallnecessarystepstomakethispossible.YouareallexpertsinthisdomainandIrequestyoutoguidemetotakethisforward,”firmlyremarked Shri Bhupendrasinh Chudasama, state cabinet minister for Education, beforestartinghisaddresstotheattendees.Speakingaboutthepivotalroleofuniversitiesandstategovernmentinsupportingstudentstartups&entrepreneurs,Vice-ChancellorofGujaratUniversityDr.MNPatelsaid,“Allaroundtheworld,likeinSiliconValleyinUnitedStates,orinWaterlooinCanada,orinJapanorinAustralia,thebestsystemsforsupportingandnurturingstartups&youngentrepreneursareoperatingsuccessfullyarounduniversitiesinasustainablemanner.”“InGujarat,wehavecloseto15lakhstudentsinhighereducation.Didyouknowmorethan180countrieshaveapopulationoflessthan15lakhs,andsomeofthesecountriesincludeUAE,HongKong,Switzerland,Singapore,NewZealand,Ireland,Luxembourg,etc?Itissaidthatatanaverageasuccessfulstartupcancreateover100directorindirectjobsoverfiveyears.WhatifGujaratwastocreate1000successfulstartupseveryyear?Isthatnotpossible,giventhatwehavemorethan15lakhstudents?,”Dr.Patelsaid.Dr.Patelasked,“Whycan’talluniversitiesworktogetherwiththestategovernmenttoforma common policy and common frameworks to support and nurture student startups &entrepreneurship?”

CitingthePrimeMinister’s“StartupIndia,StandupIndia”mission,theattendeesdiscussedstrategiestomakeGujaratthe#1stateinstudentstartups.MinisterofEducationShriBhupendrasinhChudasama laudedeffortsofGujaratUniversityandotheruniversitiesinthisareaandsuggestedcreationofacoordinationcommitteewithrepresentationsofthestategovernment,universities,chambersofcommerce,andexpertsfromseveralfields,thatshallimplementacommonstudentstartuppolicyforGujarat.“IamhappythatsuchameetinghasbeenorganisedbyGujaratUniversity,andIbelievethatthestategovernmentshouldtakealeadtoincorporatesuchideatomaterialise.”Alsodiscussedduring themeetingwas the“StartupScheme”developedby the IndustriesministryofGujaratwhereinagrantofoverRs.10lakhforatleast500startupsofGujaratwasapprovedbytheGujaratgovernmentrecently.AstipendofRs.10,000permonthforeachentrepreneurforaperiodofoneyearisalsoprovisionedintheStartupScheme.Mr.SunilParekh,oneofthemembersoftheteamthatdraftedtheStartupSchemewasalsopresentattheroundtable,andexplainedtheschemeindetailtotheattendeespresent.“The implementation of the Startup Scheme is to be done by ‘nodal institutions’ anduniversitiescanplayacrucialrolebyapplyingtobecomeanodal institute,”explainedMr.Parekh.Themeetingwasconcludedwiththedecisionofexpeditingthecreationofthecoordinationteam to implement the common student startup policy. The team will have significantrepresentationsoftheuniversities;education,financeandindustriesministriesofthestate;theindustrieschambers’;othersignificantactorsfromtheentrepreneurialecosystemsuchas incubators, startups, as well representations from the civil society and the studentcommunity.

AnnexureII:Listofparticipantspresent

Name Designation/Organisation

1 ShriBhupendrasinhChudasama HonourableMinisterofEducation,GovernmentofGujarat

2 ShriAJShah CommissionerofHigherEducation

3 Dr.MNPatel ViceChancellor,GujaratUniversity

4 Dr.AUPatel Advisor,KCG&DepartmentofIndustries

5 Prof.RLGodara ViceChancellor,HNGU

6 Ms.BhagyeshSoneji Chairperson,ASSOCHAMGujarat

7 Mr.HiranmayMahanta ManagingDirector,Techpedia

8 Mr.HimanshuPandya Coordinator,GUSEC

9 Mr.RahulBhagchandani Chairman,YouthConnectFoundation

10 Prof.SaurabhDave Head,CentreforEmergingTechnology&Incubation,GanpatUniversity

11 Dr.SunilShukla Director,EDI

12 Prof.SatyaAcharya Head,PGProgram,EDI

13 Dr.AnupSingh DirectorGeneral,NirmaUniversity

14 Dr.RaviGor Vice-Chancellor,Dr.BabasahebAmbedkarOpenUniversity

15 Prof.ParimalH.Vyas ProVice-Chancellor&ActingVice-Chancellor,MSUniversity

16 Prof.PratapsinhChauhan Vice-Chancellor,SaurashtraUniversity

17 Dr.KetanKotecha Provost,ParulUniversity

18 Prof.AnamikShah Vice-Chancellor,GujaratVidyapith

19 Mr.SunilParekh WorldEconomicForum

20 Prof.ShailendraRajMehta Vice-Chancellor,AhmedabadUniversity

21 Dr.HarishPadh Vice-Chancellor,SardarPatelUniversity

22 Prof.HemantPatil Professor,SVNIT

23 Prof.ManishGupta AssociateProfessor,DAIICT

24 Prof.RKJain Registrar,DDU

25 Dr.MKArvadia NavsariAgriculturalUniversity

26 Dr.AVBarad JunagadhAgriculturalUniversity

27 Dr.JBPrajapah AnandAgriculturalUniversity

28 ProfArkNathChaudhary Vice-Chancellor,SSSUniversity

29 Ms.BhargaviDave DistrictDevelopmentOfficer,Ahmedabad

30 Ms.KinjalDesai JointCoordinator,GUSEC