IIT Jodhpur & JCKIF to organise Conference on ‘Entrepreneurship as a Social Movement’
JODHPUR : Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur and Jodhpur City Knowledge and Innovation Foundation (JCKIF) in partnership with a social enterprise, Contact Base, Essex Business School of the University of Essex, the Mehrangarh Museum Trust and the International Entrepreneurship Forum, are organising a conference titled ‘Entrepreneurship as a Social Movement’ from 5th to 7th April 2023 at Jodhpur Club in IIT jodhpur campus. The conference aims to facilitate safeguarding heritage and grass-root entrepreneurship development using technology and other innovative means.
The conference would critically examine how technology and innovation can be applied towards creating socially equitable models which can preserve and popularize the rich and diverse cultural heritage that India is endowed with, whether it is handicraft traditions, folk music, local cuisine and festivals or indigenous dance forms.
A phalanx of speakers ranging from social entrepreneurs, policy makers, angel investors, business strategists, academicians, global cultural emissaries, citizens of jodhpur and His Highness Maharaja Gaj Singh II would be joining hands with Prof Santanu Chaudhury, Director IIT Jodhpur, Prof Jay Mitra, Faculty of Business Enterprise and Innovation at Essex University U.K., Dr G S Toteja (CEO, JCKIF)and Shri Amitava Bhattacharya, Founder and CEO Contact Base, in this endeavour to create pathways for engaging citizens with institutions for entrepreneurial outcomes relevant to Indian ethos and it’s invaluable heritage.
Speaking about the event, Prof. Santanu Chaudhury, Director, IIT Jodhpur said, “Entrepreneurial approach to transform traditional folk arts, crafts, music, drama, indigenous practices and products into sustainable ventures can touch life of millions. This conference is providing a platform to engage in deep discussions on how to empower these ventures through application of new technology and scientific management methods. This initiative is aligned with IIT Jodhpur’s vision of promoting research and innovation in science, technology and management for social transformation.”
The 3-day event will host multiple talks and panel discussions along with field trips to provide the participants an immersive experience and understanding of the heritage and artisans’ innovative capabilities for entrepreneurial outcomes. So far, more than 275 participants have already registered for the conference.
The conference will have 26 speakers on-site and 5 speakers joining digitally. Further details can be gathered from the conference webpage:
https://events.iitj.ac.in/esm2023/
This conference and associated partnership build on previous and on-going work by Contact Base centred around the concept of `Entrepreneurship as a Social Movement` developed as part of a global R&D project on citizen engagement, Citizen Entrepreneurship` led by Professor Jay Mitra, Essex Business School, University of Essex, UK. The latest chapter of this project is based on the idea of developing a `Social Lab` focusing on cultural heritage and the creative economy with citizen artisans working with key public and private stakeholders to design, develop, demonstrate and deliver, entrepreneurial projects aimed at establishing a unique cultural heritage ecosystem in specific regions which deploys technology meaningfully and delivers social equity outcomes.
The Entrepreneurship as a Social Movement – Engaging Citizens with Institutions for Entrepreneurial Outcomes conference will be live streamed on 5th and 6th April 2023.