Gandhinagar, June 23 (IANS) A new initiative aimed at helping children transform original ideas into intellectual property rights has been launched in Gujarat, with plans to support the filing of provisional patents for up to 30 innovations developed by school-age students.

The project, called Kidnovation, has been launched by the Children’s Research University (CRU) set up by the Gujarat government, and will identify around 100 talented children from across the state.

The programme seeks to promote creativity, scientific thinking and experiential learning in line with the objectives of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

Announcing the initiative on Tuesday, Dr T.S. Joshi, Vice-Chancellor of the Children’s Research University, said selected participants would receive specialised training in prototyping, design and innovation before their ideas are assessed for patentability.

“Under this project, around 100 talented children from across Gujarat will be selected. The selected children will receive specialised training in prototyping, design and innovation. After evaluating their creative ideas, provisional patents for 20 to 30 innovative concepts will be filed with the Indian Patent Office. Importantly, 100 per cent ownership of the patents will remain in the names of the children themselves,” Joshi said.

The project was launched on the 87th death anniversary of educationist Gijubhai Badheka.

According to the university, the initiative is intended to encourage children to move beyond idea generation and gain exposure to the scientific, technical and legal processes involved in innovation.

Officials said the institution was conceived during the tenure of Prime Minister Narendra Modi as Gujarat chief minister, with a focus on nurturing creativity among children and encouraging innovation through education.

The programme will run from June 23 to November 15, 2026. During July and August, organisers will conduct idea-scouting and mentoring activities across the state.

In September, shortlisted concepts will undergo scientific evaluation and screening. A two-day residential prototyping boot camp is scheduled for October 15 and 16 at the Children’s Research University to coincide with the birth anniversary of former President Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.

Around 50 children are expected to participate in the camp, where selected ideas will be developed into working prototypes.

Nilesh Pandya, Director of the Training Centre at the Children’s Research University, said the project would also create a long-term record of participants’ innovation journeys.

“During the project, the innovation journeys of all 100 children will be documented and compiled into a ‘Kidnovation Log’, which will be made permanently available as a digital archive. In addition, a policy-based white paper on intellectual property development in primary education will be prepared and submitted to the Education Department of the state government,” Pandya said.

Several organisations will support the implementation of the programme by assisting with patent drafting, prototyping, innovation screening, teacher coordination and documentation.

The initiative comes as Gujarat continues to place emphasis on creativity and Indian knowledge traditions within its education system.

By linking student innovations with the patent process, the project aims to provide young innovators with formal recognition and ownership of their original ideas.

–IANS

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