IIT Roorkee organizes an awareness program on the MSME innovative (Design) scheme.

Roorkee, February 21, 2026: The Design Innovation Center at Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (IIT Roorkee) organized an Awareness Program on the “MSME Innovative (Design) Scheme—Industry—Academia Interface” under the aegis of the Ajit Singhvi Institute Chair professorship.

The program was conducted on 9 February 2026 at Bhagwanpur, district Haridwar, Uttarakhand, in collaboration with the Department of Design, IIT Roorkee. Development and Facilitation Office (DFO-MSME), Haldwani, SIDCUL Manufacturers Association of Uttarakhand (SMAU), Roorkee Chapter, and Indian Industries Association (IIA), Roorkee Chapter.

IIT Roorkee’s objective of the scheme:

The primary objective of the MSME Innovation (Design) scheme is to bring India’s manufacturing sector and the design fraternity onto a common platform.

The scheme seeks to provide expert guidance from experienced designers to MSME units for cost-effective solutions to real-time design challenges, new product development, continuous improvement and value addition in existing and new products.

Key sessions and speakers:

Prof. Inderdeep Singh, Dean (Infrastructure) and Coordinator, Design Innovation Center, IIT Roorkee, coordinated the program and briefed participants on the scope, benefits, and implementation framework of the MSME Innovative (Design) scheme.

Prof. Apurbba Kumar Sharma, Head, Department of Design, IIT Roorkee, delivered a lecture titled “Managing and Transforming Enterprises to Superior Competitiveness, Profitability and Sustainability,” highlighting the role of strategic design thinking in strengthening MSME performance.

Industry participation:

The event witnessed active participation from industry leaders, including Ajay Digambar Jain, Chairman SMAU, Roorkee Chapter; Praveen Garg, Chairman, IIA, Roorkee Chapter; Amit Goyal, Secretary, SMAU, Roorkee Chapter; Akash Soni, Treasurer, SMAU, Roorkee Chapter; Prem Singh, Secretary, IIA, Roorkee Chapter; Deep Mani Mishra, Joint Secretary, IIA, Roorkee Chapter; Sundram, Treasurer, IIA, Roorkee Chapter; Zuber Ahmed, Office In-charge, IIA, Roorkee Chapter.

Officials from the Design Innovation Center and Department of Design, IIT Roorkee, along with representatives from regional industries and MSME units, also participated and benefited from the interactive discussions.

Strengthening industry—academia collaboration:

The program served as a valuable platform for fostering industry—academia collaboration, enabling MSMEs to leverage academia design expertise to enhance innovation, competitiveness, and sustainability in manufacturing.

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EOM.