Puducherry: Pondicherry University (PU) on Wednesday inaugurated the Atal Community Innovation Centre - Pondicherry University Step-Up Hub (ACIC-PUSH) building to foster innovation and entrepreneurship at the grassroots level.

Vice-Chancellor Prof. P. Prakash Babu inaugurated the facility in the presence of statutory officers, deans, heads of departments, ACIC-PUSH board members, faculty, research scholars, and students.

The centre aims to bridge academic research with real-world applications and promote inclusive development. “Innovation must be rooted in societal needs. ACIC-PUSH is a bridge between academic research and real-world application, empowering young minds to solve grassroots challenges,” Prof. Babu said in his inaugural address.

He urged students and innovators to leverage the facility to create sustainable, scalable solutions with both national and global relevance. The Vice-Chancellor stressed that the hub would also drive collaboration between academia, industry, and the community, supporting startups, technology transfer, and social entrepreneurship.

Prof. B. Charumathi, Director, ACIC-PUSH and project leader, outlined the vision and mission of the centre and acknowledged the support of funding partners and the university administration. Dr. P. Natarajan, Dean of the School of Management, and Dr. C. Sivasankar, Director of ACIC-PUSH, offered felicitations and expressed gratitude to contributors.