THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : In an effort to collaborate the startup ecosystem with research and development institutions (R&D) in the state, the Research Innovation Network Kerala (RINK) of Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) had a productive interaction with the scientific community at the Institute of Advanced Virology (IAV) in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday. As part of this, an exposure visit was made by RINK recently to the IAV campus at Life Sciences Park in the state capital.
IAV is an autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology under the state government.
The visit provided a platform for startups to explore opportunities for incubation and co-development of products and services with the Institute, besides receiving valuable insights from accomplished scientists and experts in the field.
The visit also covered the central instrumentation facilities and engaged in interactive sessions with scientists. The visit to IAV underscored RINK’s commitment to nurturing knowledge-sharing and collaboration between the academic community and startups in the state’s ecosystem. This initiative highlighted the extensive support offered by KSUM to empower entrepreneurs in the domain of science, which opens a vast vista of openings for startups.
“We are thrilled to facilitate the possibilities of participatory R&D and collaboration between startups and the Institute of Advanced Virology,” said Dr E Sreekumar, director of IAV.
The Innovation and Translation Facilitation Centre (ITFC), the premier incubation facility at the Institute, is dedicated to supporting startups and industries in various streams of life science, with a particular focus on addressing infectious diseases.