Gandhinagar, June 23: The Children’s Research University (CRU) in Gujarat is set to launch a unique initiative called ‘Kidnovation’ aimed at enhancing the inherent innovative potential of children and developing their ideas as intellectual property. This project will be inaugurated on June 23, 2026, coinciding with the 87th death anniversary of educator Gijubhai Badheka.
In line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 guidelines, this initiative will promote creativity, scientific thinking, and experiential learning among children. The primary goal is to systematically document children’s innovative ideas and convert them into patents.
Dr. T.S. Joshi, Vice Chancellor of the Children’s Research University, stated, “Under this project, 100 talented children from across Gujarat will be selected. These children will receive specialized training in prototyping, design, and innovation. After evaluating their creative ideas, provisional patents will be filed with the Indian Patent Office for 20 to 30 innovative concepts. Notably, 100% ownership of the patents will remain with the children.”
Nilesh Pandya, Director of the training center at CRU, added, “During the project, we will document the innovation journey of all 100 children and create a ‘Kidnovation Log,’ which will be made available as a permanent archive on the Gurupedia platform. Additionally, a policy-based white paper on intellectual property development in primary education will be prepared and submitted to the Gujarat government’s education department.”
It is noteworthy that under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Gujarat is emphasizing the Indian knowledge tradition and creativity in education.
The project will run from June 23 to November 15. During July and August, idea scouting and mentoring programs will be conducted, while September will focus on the scientific evaluation and filtering of new ideas. A two-day residential prototype boot camp will be held at the Children’s Research University on October 15 and 16, coinciding with Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam’s birthday, with around 50 children participating.
Various institutions will collaborate in the implementation of the project, playing crucial roles in patent drafting, prototyping, innovation screening, teacher coordination, and documentation.
The ‘Kidnovation’ project is seen as a significant step towards developing a new culture of child innovation in Gujarat. Through this initiative, children in the state will not only be limited to ideas but will also gain scientific and legal recognition for their innovative concepts, emerging as future innovators.
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