TKRCET-EDC was established in 2014 under the management of TKRES.

An Entrepreneurship Development Cell (EDC) plays a crucial role in fostering entrepreneurial thinking, innovation, and skill development among individuals, especially students and aspiring entrepreneurs.

Vision and Mission

Vision

To furnish the needs of aspiring entrepreneurs with innovative and creative ideas of societal

relevance and there introducing a culture and ethics of entrepreneurship inside campus

which strengthens the education system.

Mission

To develop institutional mechanism to create entrepreneurial culture in academic institution to faster

growth of innovation entrepreneurship among the students.

Objectives of E-Cell

 To promote a culture of entrepreneurship among students and encourage and

Motivate them to make it a career option for students

 To create awareness about requirements, opportunities, and challenges for promoting

a new venture.

 To create opportunities for students to network with successful start-up founders, investors, and other related stakeholders in the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

 To build a supportive network of college alumni, faculty, and other professionals to mentor and guide students in their entrepreneurial journey.

• The goal of TKRCET-EDC is to assist students, entrepreneurs, including Institutes’ faculty, with pre-venture, start-up or existing business with financial management, marketing, technology and product development and commercialization issues.
• The students are given latest inputs about the industry, the changes happening and the expectations just to make them understand the employability options and opportunities to control unemployment and create better opportunities for youngsters.
• Entrepreneurship Development Cell (EDC) conducts various events to help students to know the importance of being an entrepreneur and ways to get financial assistance to become a successful entrepreneur.

Entrepreneurship Initiates:

• To create an environment for self-employment, promote innovation, incubation and Entrepreneurship development through formal and non-formal programs
• To develop management personnel at appropriate levels for non-corporate and unorganized sectors like education, rural development, small-scale industry
• To utilize the infrastructure facilities and technically trained manpower for the development of non-corporate and unorganized
• To promote employment opportunities
• Technology Commercialization Assistance and Management Evaluation
• Intellectual Property Rights/Management
• Help with Regulatory Compliance
• Feasibility Study (Technical and Financial)
• Help with Business Basics
• Marketing Assistance/Market Research/Pilot Study/Test
• Enhancement of Marketing Skills, Commercialization/Scale up: Access to Bank Loans, Loan Funds and Guarantee Programs and Access to Angel Investors or Venture Capital
• Business Structuring Advisory: Help with Accounting/Financial Management/ Company Formation/Management Team Identification/HR
• Help with Presentation Skills and Business
• Comprehensive Business Training

Role of an Entrepreneur Development cell:

EDC in an autonomous engineering college is to foster an entrepreneurial culture among engineering students and faculty promote innovations and support entrepreneurial ventures.

1. Awareness and Education

• Conducting workshops, seminars, and lectures to spread awareness about entrepreneurship.
• Hosting awareness drives to highlight success stories and benefits of entrepreneurship.

2. Skill Development

• Offering hands-on training programs in areas like business planning, marketing, and financial management.
• Providing technical training to develop industry-relevant skills.
• Enhancing leadership, communication, and problem-solving abilities.

3. Incubation and Support

• Establishing incubation centers to help aspiring entrepreneurs develop and prototype their ideas.
• Providing infrastructure like office spaces, labs, and access to technology.
• Offering legal, technical, and business advisory services to startups.

4. Networking and Collaboration

• Organizing meetups, conferences, and networking events to connect entrepreneurs with peers, mentors, and industry leaders.
• Building partnerships with business incubators, accelerators, and government agencies.
• Facilitating collaboration between students, faculty, and external experts.

5. Funding and Financial Support

• Assisting startups in accessing funding through grants, venture capital, angel investors, and government schemes.
• Organizing fundraising events, pitch competitions, and investor meetups.
• Providing guidance on financial planning, budgeting, and resource allocation.

6. Entrepreneurship Competitions

• Hosting hackathons, idea contests, and pitch fests to encourage innovative thinking.
• Recognizing and rewarding outstanding entrepreneurial ideas.
• Offering winners access to mentorship, funding, and incubation support.

7. Industry Collaboration and Internships

• Partnering with industries to provide internships, live projects, and hands-on experiences for students.
• Facilitating real-world exposure by involving students in solving industry-specific challenges.
• Aligning training programs with industry requirements to bridge the skill gap.

8. Alumni Engagement

• Engaging successful alumni entrepreneurs as mentors and advisors for current students.
• Creating an alumni network to share experiences, resources, and opportunities.
• Inviting alumni to participate in events, workshops, and funding initiatives.

9. Policy Advocacy

• Representing the entrepreneurial community’s interests to policymakers and stakeholders.
• Advocating for policies that promote startup culture, innovation, and ease of doing business.
• Facilitating awareness about government schemes, subsidies, and benefits for entrepreneurs.

Table : Entrepreneurship Development Cell committee members:

Entrepreneurship Development Cell (EDC) conducts various events to help students to know the importance of being an entrepreneur and ways to get financial assistance to become a successful entrepreneur. The list of events conducted is mentioned in Table

Table 9 List of Events

INSTITUTION’S INNOVATION COUNCIL (IIC)

The Institution’s Innovation Council (IIC) at TKR College of Engineering & Technology (TKRCET) is established to promote innovation, entrepreneurship, startup culture, intellectual property creation, and technology commercialization among students and faculty members. The council acts as a catalyst for transforming innovative ideas into successful products, startups, and societal solutions.

With the establishment of the TKRCET Startup Hub Foundation (Section-8 Company), the IIC plays a pivotal role in strengthening the institution’s innovation ecosystem by connecting students, faculty, industry experts, incubators, investors, and government agencies.

OBJECTIVES OF IIC

1. Promote innovation and entrepreneurship culture in the campus.
2. Identify and support innovative student and faculty projects.
3. Facilitate prototype development and validation.
4. Encourage startup formation and business model development.
5. Conduct workshops on IPR, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
6. Connect innovators with mentors, incubators, accelerators, and investors.
7. Organize innovation challenges, hackathons, and startup competitions.
8. Enhance employability through innovation-driven learning.

FUNCTIONS OF IIC

1. Innovation Promotion
2. Entrepreneurship Development
3. Startup Ecosystem Development
4. Intellectual Property Promotion
5. Industry Collaboration
6. Funding & Commercialization Support
7. Outreach Activities

MAJOR ACTIVITIES OF TKRCET IIC

The IIC shall organize activities such as:

• Innovation Contest
• Startup Demo Day
• Business Plan Competition
• Hackathons and Ideation Challenges
• IPR Workshops
• AI & Industry 4.0 Workshops
• Entrepreneurship Awareness Programs
• Startup Finance and Investor Sessions
• Innovation Outreach Programs in Schools
• Industrial Visits
• Project Exhibitions and Technology Showcases
• Design Thinking Workshops
• Business Model Canvas Workshops
• Prototype Development Programs
• Incubation and Acceleration Awareness Sessions