Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan opens iTNT hub in Madurai

MADURAI: The Madurai Regional Hub of the Tamil Nadu Technology (iTNT) was inaugurated on Friday by State Minister for Information Technology and Digital Service Dr Palanivel Thiaga Rajan at the Anna University Regional Campus.

The occasion was graced by Vanitha Venugopal, CEO of iTNT Hub, K Hari Thiagarajan, Chairman and Correspondent of Thiagarajar College of Engineering, Dr K Linga Durai, Dean, Anna University Regional Campus – Madurai and heads of engineering colleges and startup founders from the region.

“The Madurai Regional Hub, the first regional centre of iTNT Hub in Southern Tamil Nadu – and second in the State – marks a significant milestone in the Government of Tamil Nadu’s proactive measures to support Deep and Emerging Tech startups and researchers, thereby nurturing innovation across Tamil Nadu,” said the state IT&DS minister.

iTNT Hub CEO Vanitha Venugopal elaborated on the purpose behind the establishment of the Madurai Regional Hub as part of the Government of Tamil Nadu’s strategic move to democratise and strengthen the Deep & Emerging Tech innovation ecosystem beyond Chennai.

Dr K Linga Durai, Dean, Anna University Regional Campus – Madurai, expressed confidence that the iTNT Madurai Regional Hub will play a key role in the emergence of Deep & Emerging Tech startups from the region, benefiting researchers as well as students with the dream to make it big.

Establishment of the Madurai Regional Hub will extend the benefits of the hub to a wider range of researchers, startups, academia, industry and other stakeholders.

In addition to the co-working spaces and physical infrastructure at the hub, startups and researchers will gain access to all the programs and initiatives of the hub, including technology transfer.

The inauguration was followed by the launch of the first Madurai PATHFINDER incubation cohort. These eight patent-holding researchers from engineering streams had their ideas validated under the four-week BEACON bootcamp at iTNT Hub, graduated and have now taken the next big step to launch their Deep & Emerging Tech startup ventures.

The iTNT Hub Satellite Office in Thiagarajar College of Engineering, Madurai, will be the department’s first in the State.

The iTNT Hub will also collaborate with corporates and local industries to get innovative solutions through challenges. Winners and top solutions from these challenges get nurtured by the Hub to translate into startup ventures or transfer technologies to the industry.