MOHALI: Rayat Bahra University organised SPARK 2025 (Start-ups, Protection, Action, Research, Knowledge), a pioneering event aimed at fostering innovation, entrepreneurship, and intellectual property (IP) awareness among youth.
The event was specially curated to commemorate World Creativity and Innovation Day and in anticipation of World Intellectual Property Day.
Themed “Igniting the Future with Innovation & IP”, SPARK 2025 was organised by the Research and Incubation Centre of the university and marked a significant step toward building a vibrant start-up ecosystem in Punjab and North India.
The event was inaugurated by Gurvinder Singh Bahra, Chancellor of Rayat Bahra University, who encouraged students to move beyond traditional job-seeking mindsets and embrace entrepreneurship as a means to lead national growth. He emphasised the university’s commitment to empowering youth as innovators and future leaders.
Gurinder Singh Bahra , Vice-Chairman, Rayat Bahra University, was acknowledged as the youthful driving force behind the event. His energetic leadership and commitment to fostering innovation have empowered the realisation of SPARK 2025 as a landmark initiative.
A key architect behind the initiative, Prof (Dr) Chander Prakash, Group Pro-Vice Chancellor, Rayat Bahra University, took a pledge to establish a robust start-up culture and entrepreneurial ecosystem across the university network. His visionary leadership is actively promoting young and aspiring minds to pursue creativity, innovation, and enterprise, and has been instrumental in shaping SPARK 2025 as a platform for igniting youth potential.
The inaugural session featured notable speakers including Paramjit Singh, Director, Regional Centre for Entrepreneurship Development (RCED), Chandigarh, Narinder Singh Jassal, Senior Principal Scientist and Head, Business Development Group, CSIR-CSIO, Chandigarh, Ashish Thombre, Udyam Vidya Prasar Foundation, Ghaziabad, Priyanshu Jain, Co-Founder, MotorPedia, Gurugram, Aatif Jamal, Senior Manager, iHub-AWaDH, IIT Ropar, Dr. Runjhun Tandon, Founder, Ipinculcator, Jalandhar.
A panel discussion on “Building Sustainable Start-up Ecosystems” followed, facilitating a lively dialogue between experts, faculty, and students on themes such as design thinking, prototype validation, and patent filing.
The highlight of SPARK 2025 was the Student Start-up Pitch Competition, where over 100 ideas were submitted by aspiring student innovators.
Dr. Raman Kumar, Dr. Jasgurpreet Singh Chohan, and Dr. Jagpreet Singh, meticulous planning and dedication ensured its impactful execution.