Students ideas get SP Jain aid………Priya Ramakrishnan
Students with innovative ideas from Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan?s Andheri campus will have readymade mentors to mould them into entrepreneurs, with SP Jain Institute of Management and Research (SPJIMR) lending a helping hand.
SPJIMR will use its management knowledge through the newly-set up incubation centre to help students. The centre will be open to all students of the campus. ?The idea is to encourage entrepreneur spirit among students. They can be from commerce, arts or engineering stream, but they might have ideas and need a hand with to make a business plan,? said Prof Suresh Rao, chairperson, centre for entrepreneurship, SPJIMR.
After students submit their ideas, three workable ones will be short listed and a business plan will be formulated. Furthermore, the three students whose ideas are selected will also get a chance to enrol for a 17-week Start Your Business (SYB) programme. ?The course costs Rs50,000, but for the selected students it will be offered free of cost,? said Rao.
The centre is preparing to call for innovative ideas from students pursuing their graduation and post graduation degrees. ?We have around six volunteers, but several students are interested in joining the team,? Rao said.
The centre will also help students raise funds. Rao said the activity will teach the students the various tactics of raising required funds for the project. ?We will start meeting the heads of institutes and spread word about our work,? added Rao.