Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot on Saturday said innovation is the only path for India to achieve self-reliance and global leadership in today's intensely competitive world.

Highlighting India’s rich heritage of innovation, the Governor said, “India has always been a land of ideas. From the ancient universities of Takshashila and Nalanda to medical pioneers like Charaka and Sushruta, and mathematical legends like Aryabhata – innovation lies at the heart of our civilization. Today, it’s not just about thinking; it’s about transforming ideas into impactful reality.”

He was addressing the gathering at “Innovasthan – A Vichar to Vikas Yatra”, a national campaign focused on fostering innovation, intellectual property (IP), and enterprise-led growth. The event was jointly organised by the Council for Industrial Innovation and Research and Jain (Deemed-to-be) University in Bengaluru.

Gehlot noted India’s remarkable rise in the Global Innovation Index, moving from 81st position in 2015 to 40th in 2023, and emphasised that innovation in India must expand beyond laboratories to influence policy, education, industry, and society at large.

“To become a global innovation leader, India must bring together its higher education institutions, startups, MSMEs, corporate sector, and policy bodies onto a common platform,” he said, adding that coordination and collective commitment must make innovation a national mission.

The Governor also emphasised the growing potential in India's startup ecosystem. “With over one lakh startups and 110 unicorns, India is now the third-largest startup ecosystem in the world. However, only a fraction of these are protected by intellectual property rights. This gap must be bridged through greater awareness and institutional support for IP protection,” he said.

Referencing the Patent Annual Report 2022–23, he lauded Karnataka for filing over 6,500 patent applications but urged stakeholders to further accelerate these efforts, especially within higher education, MSMEs, and startups.

“Innovation is being encouraged at every level—schools, colleges, universities, industries. The government is also supporting this with the National Intellectual Property Policy. Our universities must be encouraged to establish IP centres and adopt frameworks to manage and commercialize intellectual property,” he said.

Calling for a mindset of “Innovate – Protect – Scale,” Gehlot stressed the importance of national initiatives like Startup India, Atmanirbhar Bharat, Innovation Mission, and Make in India in nurturing innovation ecosystems. “An idea, a tool, a device, or an app that improves lives is more than just technology—it is development in action."

Praising Bengaluru as a hub of technology, education, and cultural vibrancy, he commended Jain (Deemed-to-be) University for its contribution to the city’s emergence as a premier education centre.

The Governor also described "Innovasthan" as a movement aligned with the vision of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to build a self-reliant and innovation-driven India. “This national journey of thought and development—Vichar to Vikas Yatra—aims to institutionalise innovation across higher education, industry, and startups. It envisions a nation where every citizen can be an innovator, and every idea can create impact,” he added.