The Kerala government launched a program on Wednesday to address the shortage of land for industrial infrastructure and bridge the gap between industry and academia by establishing campus industry parks in educational institutions across the state, reported PTI.
Kerala Law and Industries Minister P Rajeeve inaugurated the initiative, calling it a historic move that would reshape the future of industries in Kerala. “Eighty educational institutions have already expressed interest in starting campus industry parks, and this year we will approve 25 of them,” Rajeeve said, noting that the number could increase if more promising proposals emerge.
The industry and higher education departments in Kerala conducted a land survey of educational institutions and found many had excess land beyond what is required by governing authorities. “The scarcity and high cost of land in Kerala have been major obstacles to industrial infrastructure development. This led us to the idea of campus industry parks,” Rajeeve explained.
The decision followed extensive consultations with industry experts and district-level discussions to understand the needs and challenges of the industry, resulting in a new industry policy. Rajeeve highlighted that 22 key sectors have been identified as suitable for Kerala, leading to the creation of campus industry parks, a pioneering initiative in the country.
These parks aim to strengthen academics by providing students with practical, course-related training and opportunities to commercialise their research. “The parks will be available to government, aided, and self-financed institutions that meet the eligibility criteria,” Rajeeve said, adding that the government will offer infrastructure development incentives of Rs. 1.5 crore per institution.
With agency inputs.