Chennai: Youth should take up entrepreneurship to ensure the country's progress and self-reliance, IIT Madras Director Prof. V Kamakoti said on Wednesday.

He was speaking at a seminar titled DST-GTC-Incubate, organised at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, and the Gopalakrishna Deshpande Centre (GDC) at IIT-M.

The event focused on fostering innovation and industrial growth through the creation of 100 university-linked laboratories and over 500 deep-tech startup ventures across the country.

Addressing the gathering, Prof. Kamakoti said IIT Madras has supported the entrepreneurial ambitions of over 12,000 students so far and is committed to nurturing deep technological knowledge that will define India's future.

“The institute began by filing one patent a day, and today that number has increased to 1.2 patents daily. Our goal is to create 1,000 startups in the next six years,” he said.

He emphasised that only when young people take up the roles of entrepreneurs and innovators can India achieve self-sufficiency and sustained economic development.