In a major step towards strengthening innovation and entrepreneurship, the state government has approved the State Innovation Policy for Technical Education Institutions along with the State Innovation Fund Implementation Guidelines (2026–2028). The initiative is aimed at nurturing a vibrant culture of innovation, startups and research across technical education institutions.
The policy seeks to position the state as a leading innovation hub by enabling students, faculty and aspiring entrepreneurs to transform creative ideas into technology-based, market-ready solutions. It lays down a structured framework for prototype development, startup incubation, seed funding, intellectual property management, skill enhancement and industry partnerships, with a strong focus on transparency and measurable outcomes.
To support the initiative, the government has established a State Innovation Fund of Rs. 2 crore for the 2026–2028 period. The fund will finance prototype development through micro-grants, provide seed capital to promising startups, strengthen incubation centres, and support innovation challenges, boot camps, faculty and student training, as well as industry- and CSR-backed collaborative projects. The policy also promotes inclusive innovation by encouraging participation of women, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and youth from rural areas.
The Director of Technical Education, Vocational and Industrial Training will serve as the nodal officer for implementation. Institutional Cluster Innovation Committees, along with a State Innovation Advisory Group, will monitor project selection, fund utilisation and overall implementation to ensure timely and effective execution.
CM Sukhu said the policy establishes a clear framework for intellectual property ownership and revenue sharing. Innovations developed under the programme will remain the property of their creators, while educational institutions will have non-exclusive rights to use them for academic purposes.
He said the initiative would accelerate innovation-led economic growth, create employment opportunities, strengthen the startup ecosystem and provide young innovators across the state with greater opportunities to pursue entrepreneurship. The policy will be reviewed after two years, with its impact assessed on parameters such as prototypes developed, startups launched, intellectual property registrations, jobs created and investments attracted.
Nurturing Creativity – Keekli Charitable Trust, Shimla
