Institution’s Innovation Council and Pre Incubation centre

Institution’s Innovation Council

M.O.P. Vaishnav College has been fostering an entrepreneurial ecosystem since 1992 through the establishment of its Entrepreneurship Development (ED) Cell. Over the years, the ED Cell has served as a catalyst for nurturing entrepreneurial thinking, innovation, and enterprise among students, making entrepreneurship an integral part of campus life.

In 2019, the ED Cell, functioning under the Ministry’s entrepreneurship initiatives, was upgraded as a Pre-Incubation Centre with the objective of equipping students with the knowledge, skills, and mentorship required to transform innovative ideas into viable entrepreneurial ventures.

Building on this strong foundation, the College established its Institution’s Innovation Council (IIC) in 2021 under the Ministry of Education’s Innovation Cell (MIC) in collaboration with AICTE. The IIC initiative aims to promote a vibrant culture of innovation, entrepreneurship, and start-up development across Higher Education Institutions.

At M.O.P. Vaishnav College, the Institution’s Innovation Council (IIC) serves as the nucleus of the institution’s innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem. It provides a dynamic platform for students and faculty to ideate, innovate, collaborate, and develop entrepreneurial competencies through structured interventions, experiential learning opportunities, and industry engagement.

The Council is committed to cultivating an innovation-driven mindset, encouraging problem-solving, supporting start-up aspirations, and creating an enabling environment where entrepreneurial ideas can evolve into sustainable ventures.
The Institution’s Innovation Council (IIC) organizes and facilitates a wide range of initiatives, including:

Innovation and Entrepreneurship Awareness Programmes

to create awareness about importance of entrepreneurship among faculty and students

Ideation and Design Thinking Workshops

gives students a clarity of thought in ideating a business and crafting a product

Expert Talks by Entrepreneurs, Innovators, and Industry Leaders

aims at building confidence to pursue passionate business of their choice.

Innovation Challenges, Hackathons, and Competitions

Students get an opportunity to organise and participatein such competitions

Collaboration with Industry, Incubators, and Innovation Ecosystem Partners

Skill Development and Capacity-BuildingProgrammes

Skilling unit of the college “Kaushal Kendra”provides students with intense training on the skills that interests them needed to venture into business of their choice.

Business on-campus ,the Practice school and stall opportunity off campus

A week long business mart on campus provides experiential learning to students who have a course subject on Entrepreneurship.
Shortlisted student entrepreneurs get an opportunity to operate stalls in external campuses.

On campus Business kiosks

Beyond Breads (Bakery), Impressionz (Stationery), and Akriti (Model Joint Stock Company) are businesses that are operated on campus

Exhibitions and fairs

Exhibitions are hosted to create awareness and support aspects of traditional and sustainable products.
Handloom exhibition, Co-optex products exhibition, Craft awareness and traditional art expo with live demonstrations by artisans in the past reaped a huge turnover with a sizable footfall.

Field Visits to organisations or incubation centres

like IIT Research park,MCC Incubation centre gives the students an exposure on the nuances of running a start up.

Alumna speak-“Classroom to Boardroom”

are sessions where in successful alumni entrepreneurs are invited to share the startup journey

Vaishnav Venture Vox

an exclusive podcast channel through Spotify where in valuablestartup tipsare shared by entrepreneurs visiting campus

Intellectual Property rights awareness and Patent Filing

helps students to know the importance of protection of their rights and seek advisory assistance for filing of patents

Impact Lecture Series

aims to empower young women with the knowledge, skills, and entrepreneurial spirit required to emerge as future leaders, innovators, and change-makers in a rapidly evolving global landscape.

Start-up Mentoring,business proposal validation and Pre-Incubation Support

Start Up Utsav is a platform that nurtures entrepreneurial spirit by enabling budding student entrepreneurs to present innovative business ideas to industry experts to gain mentorship and pre-incubation support.

Panel discussions and Open Forums

Students get an opportunity to participate in such sessions.

Student Innovation Projects ,New product Research and Showcases

Various courses initiate product research and formulations which are showcased in exhibitions.

MOU with Ecosystem Players

The MOU helps in garnering support from stakeholders and ecosystem players to motivate students to build businesses.

Through these initiatives, the IIC continues to strengthen the institution’s commitment to developing future-ready graduates equipped with the entrepreneurial mindset, innovative capabilities, and leadership skills required to contribute meaningfully to society and the economy.

M.O.P Bazaar

The Ministry of Entrepreneurship organizes the annual student-run M.O.P Bazaar. It is a platform for the students to showcase their entrepreneurial skills where the students of the college come together in teams to run their businesses for two days. The Bazaar is open to the public and sees a footfall of over 10,000 every year. An array of performances and stage shows are an added attraction. In order to make the already exhilarating event even more exciting, the Bazaar is structured in the form of streets, each having a unique name, holding around 80 stalls run by around 300 students and alumni. A plethora of products ranging from artefacts, home decor, cosmetics, garments footwear, and food delicacies are sold at the Bazaar.

To inculcate the spirit of healthy competition and as a token of appreciation, the stallholders are given several opportunities to win awards. The following is the list of awards:

Best Stall Name

Best Retail Display

Most Innovative Products

Best Promotion Announcement

Most Eco-Friendly Stall

Most Innovative Packaging

Best Dressed Stall Owners

People’s Choice Award

Crown Magnet Award

Outstanding Audience and Interiors Awards

Best Handmade /Hand crafted Product

Best Food Stall

Best Mompreneur

Ignite

IGNITE is a biennial event held every two years to promote entrepreneurship among youth. Featuring eminent speakers, including practitioners and thought-leaders on entrepreneurship, it was aimed at inculcating passion for entrepreneurship among student community in Chennai.The summit created a forum for the exchange of ideas and insights, with the goal of inspiring budding entrepreneurs, IGNITE 2017 fostered entrepreneurial passion among students, while IGNITE 2019 equipped faculty to mentor and nurture aspiring entrepreneurs, the format being that of a Faculty Development Programme. IGNITE 2023 celebrated 30 ‘Under 30’ alumni entrepreneurs with awards and also insightful panel discussions. IGNITE 2025 expanded with the Swabhimaan Impact Awards, Expert talks, Fire side chat, Workshops, and competitions aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Start Up Utsav

This is a flagship business pitch competition and incubation initiative organized by the theInstitution’s Innovation Council and Student Ministry of Entrepreneurship,M.O.P Vaishnav College for Women(Autonomous). The platform enables students to present innovative business ideas to industry experts, gain mentorship and pre-incubation support, and transform concepts into viable ventures. By bridging academics with the startup ecosystem, Start Up Utsav provides invaluable real-world exposure and nurtures the entrepreneurial spirit among aspiring women entrepreneurs.

Contact: Entrepreneurship & Incubation Centre

M.O.P. Vaishnav College for Women (Autonomous)

Chennai – 600 034.
E-Mail : mopincubation@gmail.com