Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Centre
🎉 First Govt. of India IEDC in Kerala (2009)
Best Performing IEDC — Kerala, 2017–18 & 2021–22
IIC 4-Star Rating 2021–22
₹1 Lakh per Idea — Student Funding
Gateway to Startups Valley TBI
Makerhub AJCE — Innovation & Entrepreneurship Development Centre
The AJCE IEDC — now branded as Makerhub AJCE — is one of the first five IEDCs established in India, the first in Kerala, and the only one sanctioned to a private engineering college in the state. Supported by NSTEDB, Dept. of Science and Technology, Govt. of India since 2009, it has grown from a student project contest (I2U, 2006) into a nationally recognised innovation ecosystem and the founding platform for Startups Valley TBI.
2009
Established — First in Kerala
₹1 L
Funding per Student Idea
346
IEDCs Nationally — Best Performer
4★
IIC Rating 2021–22
6
KSUM IDEA FEST Projects Funded (2022)
DST
Govt. of India Supported
🏆 AJCE IEDC is recognised as the Best Performing IEDC in Kerala for 2017–18 and 2021–22 by Kerala Startup Mission — among all 346 IEDCs across India. In 2022, AJCE received funding for 6 projects through KSUM IDEA FEST out of 40 projects funded nationally, and submitted a record 446 proposals for the Young Innovators Programme — the maximum from any single college in India.
🔬 What is IEDC?
The Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Centre (IEDC) is an initiative of NSTEDB, Dept. of Science and Technology (DST), Govt. of India. Its aim is to create an institutional mechanism for an entrepreneurial culture in academic institutions — fostering innovation among faculty and students.
Every year the AJCE IEDC provides financial support up to ₹1 lakh per idea for developing innovative student products, alongside mentoring and infrastructural support. The centre also arranges regular classes, camps, and hackathons to promote technology-based innovation and entrepreneurship.
AJCE was one of the first five IEDCs in India, the first in Kerala, and the only one sanctioned to a private engineering college in the state. The success of the IEDC directly gave rise to Startups Valley TBI — a DST-funded Technology Business Incubator with 37+ active startups.
💡 Why AJCE Started IEDC — The Inspiration
- Long-term goal: create a 300-acre engineering city; the present 65-acre campus as its starting point
- Most AJCE students come from rural agrarian backgrounds — farming problems became engineering challenges to solve
- Students and faculty had already won national-level project contests and received R&D funding
- No major entrepreneurship guidance centre existed in Kottayam district or neighbouring districts
- High scope for rural technology development in the agricultural setting around the college
- Management and faculty were already providing technology solutions for agrarian communities — IEDC formalised this
🔬 I2U — Innovation Ideas Unleashed
Annual innovation project contest running since 2006, open to all AJCE students including M.Tech and MCA. Up to 15–20 projects selected each year with AJCE R&D funding up to ₹20,000–₹1 lakh per project. 112+ applications received in record years.
🏮 Yuva Mastermind
Annual inter-college project competition organised by Startups Valley TBI and Makerhub AJCE IEDC in association with Malayala Manorama. 10+ successful seasons conducted — one of the largest student innovation events in Kerala.
🎓 1K Youth Programme
Two-day innovation and entrepreneurship evangelisation programme for all first-year students. Provides foundational knowledge of innovation culture, startup ecosystem, and entrepreneurial mindset from day one at AJCE.
🛠 Business Skill Development (BSDP)
A training programme sponsored by the Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME), Govt. of India — encouraging students to start Micro, Small, or Medium Enterprises and generate employment in the region.
🔌 Science Excursion / SALT
Outreach programme organised in association with KSCSTE — providing science popularisation and technology exposure for Higher Secondary and Higher Secondary School students from nearby schools and colleges.
01 — Intelligent Light Dimmer
Automatic Vehicle Headlight Dimmer
Addresses temporary blindness caused by oncoming high-beam headlights — an automatic dimmer that actuates without human interference, solving a nationally important road safety problem.
Funded by Govt. of Kerala02 — Automated Rubber Tapping Machine
Addressing Kerala's Rubber Labour Shortage
Developed in association with the Rubber Research Institute of India (RRII), Kottayam — an automated machine to tap rubber trees, addressing the acute labour shortage in Kerala's rubber cultivation sector.
In association with RRII, Kottayam03 — Coconut Tree Climbing Machine
Govt. of Kerala Competition — 2 Selected from AJCE
In a nationwide Dept. of Industries and Commerce competition for a coconut tree climbing machine, 8 ideas were selected nationally — 2 of which were from AJCE (John Jose Pattery, Mech Engg; and Zacharias Mathew, Senzo Engineering).
Dept. of Industries & Commerce, Kerala04 — Borewell Rescue Robot
Rescuing Children from Tube Wells
A robot designed and built by AJCE students for rescuing children trapped in bore wells — addressing a recurring emergency that has claimed lives across India.
Funded by DST, Govt. of India05 — Pedal-Powered Inverter
Charging Batteries via Exercise Pedalling
An inverter that uses mechanical power from pedalling an exercise cycle to charge its battery — combining fitness with renewable energy generation at the household level.
Funded by DST, Govt. of India06 — Digital Pre-Paid Energy Meter
Prepaid Electricity — Like a Mobile Phone
An energy meter chargeable like a prepaid mobile SIM, controllable from a central station. Supports energy conservation and efficient billing — particularly relevant for rural electrification programmes.
Funded by DST, Govt. of India07 — Driver's Assistant
Road Sign Recognition for Drivers
Equipment to make drivers more alert about road sign boards — an early version of intelligent driver assistance systems, funded by DST.
Funded by DST, Govt. of India08 — Internet Radio (Radio 90 FM)
Voice of Amal Jyothi — Radio 90 Community Radio
AJCE students started an internet radio station that evolved into Radio 90 FM — a community radio and technical knowledge broadcast platform. Developed in association with DST, Govt. of India.
DST, Govt. of India🏭 Institute Innovation Council (IIC)
- IIC activities commenced at AJCE in 2018
- Secured 4-Star IIC Rating for 2021–22 — one of only 6 engineering colleges in all of Kerala at this level
- Best Performing IEDC — Kerala, 2017–18 and 2021–22 (among 346 IEDCs nationally)
- 6 projects funded through KSUM IDEA FEST 2022 out of 40 nationally funded projects
- 446 proposals submitted to Young Innovators Programme — maximum from any single college in India
- Outstanding Performer — Young Innovators Programme 2021, State Level
🚀 From IEDC to Startups Valley TBI
The confidence and experience built through 13+ years of IEDC operation gave AJCE the credibility and institutional strength to apply for and establish a Technology Business Incubator (TBI) with DST funding in 2015.
- Startups Valley TBI — sanctioned by DST, Govt. of India; ₹3.65 Crores
- BioNEST TBI — by BIRAC, Dept. of Biotechnology, Govt. of India; ₹4.87 Crores — first BioNEST TBI in Kerala
- 37+ active startups currently incubated
- First self-financing college under KTU to receive a multi-crore TBI project from GoI
- AICTE IDEA Lab — ₹1.10 Crores (one of 49 institutions pan-India, three in Kerala)