Assam CM launches MC²+ IGNITE outreach programme at IIT Guwahati; calls for stronger industry-academia-startup collaboration
By Dalim Phukan
Guwahati, Sep 11 : Assam Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday launched the MC²+ IGNITE–IIT Guwahati outreach programme at IIT Guwahati, marking a significant step towards strengthening the State’s ecosystem for innovation, entrepreneurship and deep technology.
An MoU was also signed between MC²+ and IIT Guwahati on the occasion. The MC²+ co-working Node at the NRL Centre, Guwahati, was also inaugurated.
The MC²+ (Multiply, Collaborate, Create) initiative brings together the MC²+ Foundation, IIT Guwahati, Oil India Limited (OIL) and Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) to create greater opportunities for innovation, technology development and entrepreneurship, particularly in the energy and allied sectors.
Speaking at the programme, Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma said Assam has entered a new phase of economic development after strengthening its infrastructure, connectivity, human development and industrial base. The next phase, he said, must focus on enhancing the productive capacity of the people and enterprises through innovation, technology and entrepreneurship.
The Chief Minister called for the development of an “Assam Model of Entrepreneurship” rooted in the State’s strengths and responsive to its developmental challenges, while being capable of competing in national and global markets.
He said Assam’s agriculture and horticulture sectors have significant potential in processing, logistics and value addition, while the State’s biodiversity can support biotechnology and sustainable bio-based enterprises. Bamboo, handloom and handicrafts, he added, can be integrated with modern technology, design and global markets, while tourism can create technology-enabled businesses and experiences.
Dr. Sarma said Assam’s unique geographical, environmental and economic challenges could themselves become opportunities for innovation. The State, he said, should develop technologies suited to its own conditions and subsequently take such solutions to other parts of India and the world.
“Gradually, Assam is creating technology for itself. We should now look towards making Assam a leader, and wherever possible a monopoly provider, of specialised services and solutions that emerge from our own strengths,” he said.
Highlighting the potential of the energy sector, the Chief Minister said Assam’s long association with oil and gas has entered a new phase. The State has moved beyond being merely a crude-producing State and now has capabilities in refining, petrochemicals, biofuels and emerging clean-energy technologies. The next generation of Assam’s energy industry, he said, must increasingly be driven by knowledge, innovation and technology.
He stressed the need for Assam’s young people to develop solutions suited to local conditions, particularly in areas such as biofuels, green hydrogen, energy storage, energy efficiency, digital technologies and decarbonisation.
Dr. Sarma also emphasised the importance of stronger collaboration among startups, industry and academic institutions. He cited NRL’s investment of approximately Rs. 50 crore in startups, including Zymolent, which is working on cellulose enzyme technology for second-generation ethanol, and LW3, which is developing blockchain-based traceability solutions for green hydrogen and digital battery passports.
The Chief Minister urged OIL and NRL to further deepen their engagement with startups by opening more industrial challenges to innovators and providing opportunities for promising technologies to be tested, validated and adopted in real operating environments.
Referring to the ongoing MC²+ IGNITE programme, which involves 30 startups and a Rs. 30-crore grant pool across seven focus areas, Dr. Sarma said the initiative can provide entrepreneurs with financial support as well as technical expertise, mentorship, academic capabilities and industry linkages.
He described the MoU between MC²+ and IIT Guwahati as an important development that would expand opportunities for startups in Assam through mentorship, laboratory facilities and industry connections.
The Chief Minister said the Assam government would continue to create an enabling environment for entrepreneurship and innovation through appropriate policies, infrastructure and institutional support. He also highlighted the Assam Innovation and Startup Foundation (AISF), established under the Department of Innovation, Incubation and Startups to connect the State’s innovation ecosystem with engineering colleges, polytechnics, ITIs, universities, incubation centres, startups and grassroots innovators.
He called upon MC²+ and AISF to build a statewide innovation funnel linking industrial problem statements from Oil India, Numaligarh and MC²+ with talented young people across Assam, supporting promising teams through incubation, mentoring and funding, anchoring deep-technology ideas at IIT Guwahati and taking validated solutions to industry for pilot deployment.
Dr. Sarma stressed that innovation should not remain concentrated in Guwahati or a handful of premier institutions. The broader objective, he said, is to create a more productive, innovative and competitive Assam.
“A Viksit Assam will require strong infrastructure as well as strong enterprises; investment as well as innovation; and skilled people as well as entrepreneurs who are willing to create opportunities for others,” he said.
The Chief Minister said the Assam Model of Entrepreneurship should ultimately reflect the State’s distinctive strengths—rooted in local needs, connected with industry, powered by technology and ambitious in its global outlook.
“Our goal should not be merely to find solutions for Assam. Our goal should be to solve Assam’s problems so well that the solutions themselves become products, technologies and services that the world needs,” he said, adding that this would enable Assam to move “from being a consumer of technology to a creator of technology, and from a resource State to a technology State.”
Chief Secretary Dr. Ravi Kota, OIL CMD Dr. Ranjit Rath, IIT Guwahati Director Prof. Devendra Jalihal and several other dignitaries were present at the programme.
