THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The six-day ‘One Week One Lab (OWOL)’ programme of CSIR-NIIST, which aims to showcase the legacy, innovations and technological breakthroughs achieved by the laboratory, will focus on Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and evolving ways to support the sector.
“The programme is designed in a way that supports and encourages the MSME sector. Thousands of industries are depending on MSME and last year, about 30 per cent of our GDP’s contribution came from this sector,” C Anandharamakrishnan, director, CSIR-NIIST, Thiruvananthapuram, told at a press conference on Tuesday.
As part of OWOL, CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (CSIR-NIIST), a laboratory of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India, has planned a series of programmes at its campus at Pappanamcode from March 13-18.
He said as part of the International Year of Millets (IYM), a Millet Food Festival and expo will be held on the sidelines of OWOL. IYM was approved by the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) of the UN to promote the consumption of millet across the globe.
There will also be a farmers’ meet, which would be attended by regional farmers. Another highlight of the event is the two exclusive sessions by Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM).