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K-DISCAcademic Collaborations

Kerala Development & Innovation Strategic Council

Where Innovation Meets Academia — A Living Collaboration
K-DISC partners with universities, engineering colleges, and research institutions to embed real-world problem-solving into formal academic curricula — transforming the education ecosystem from knowledge transmission to collaborative innovation.

9,000+
Institutions Engaged

12.57L
YIP Participants

2.08L
Job-seekers Trained

2
University MoUs

Collaborative Programmes

Four Flagship Programmes, One Ecosystem

Each programme connects a distinct layer of society with academia and research institutions, using Design Thinking as the shared methodology for contextual problem-solving.

One Local Government One Idea (OLOI)
KTU · Kannur
OLOI positions Local Self-Government Institutions (LSGIs) as innovation actors, not merely administrative units. Local governments bring wicked problems — complex, multi-dimensional challenges beyond conventional administrative resolution — and co-develop solutions with academic and research institutions using the Quadruple Helix framework (Government + Academia + Industry + Civil Society). Formally linked to APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University and Kannur University through MoUs integrating OLOI methodology into their curricula.

21
Block Innovation Clusters

14
Districts Covered

35+
Pilot Projects

CRWPS-KKEM — Collaborative Real-World Problem Solving & Employment
KTU Integrated
Embedded in the KTU BTech 2024 Curriculum, CRWPS operationalises the Problem Shelf as the source of Mini and Major Projects for engineering students. KKEM (Kerala Knowledge Economy Mission / Vijnana Keralam) provides the employment pipeline: job-seekers are trained in English, personality development, work readiness, domain skill refreshment, LinkedIn and Coursera with mentor support, and deployed through RTD (Recruit–Train–Deploy) mode with employers.

2,08,502
Job-seekers Trained
40.8L+
Jobs Mobilised
2,52,101
Placements
KKEM Portal ↗KTU DWMS ↗
യംഗ് ഇന്നൊവേറ്റേഴ്സ് പ്രോഗ്രാം (YIP)
KTU Activity Points
Kerala’s largest student innovation programme, spanning high school to university level. Students begin with Voice of Stakeholder (VoS) methodology, develop Problem Canvases with Root Cause Analysis, proceed through Foundation Training, multi-tier evaluations, Immersion Training, Maker Camps, and connect with domain institutions to evolve ideas into products, processes, or research outputs. Embedded in KTU’s degree-mandatory Activity Points framework — participants can earn up to 45 of the required 120 Activity Points through YIP alone.
12.57L
പങ്കെടുക്കുന്നവര്‍
8,658
Institutions
7 Patents
Filed by Students
One District One Idea (ODOI)
EDII Validated
ODOI bridges academic institutions and the district-level MSME cluster economy. Teachers and students apply Blue Ocean Strategy to evaluate MSME clusters and prepare development strategies. Strategies are reviewed by EDII (Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India) and converted into Detailed Project Reports — turning teachers and students into development analysts and industries into living laboratories.
66
MSME Clusters
61
Institutions Connected
27 DPRs
Prepared

Formal University Partnerships
Institutional Integration through MoUs
K-DISC’s innovation methodology is formally embedded into university curricula through signed Memoranda of Understanding — ensuring participation is a degree requirement, not an optional activity.
KTU
APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University
Engineering University · Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
MoU Signed — 22 October 2024
CRWPS framework embedded in BTech 2024 Curriculum for all KTU affiliated engineering colleges
Industry-linked Minor and Elective Courses designed by K-DISC with industry professionals
Mini and Major Projects sourced from the K-DISC Problem Shelf
Long-term Internships facilitated via KKEM DWMS portal
Course-Integrated RTD (Recruit–Train–Deploy) Scheme connecting academics, problem-solving, and employment as a continuum
Degree-mandatory Activity Points: YIP (35 pts), Problem Shelf Projects [Social Innovation through Real world social problems] (40 pts), STRIDE (35 pts) — up to 110 of 120 required points through K-DISC
Coursera courses accessible to students with KTU IDs via K-DISC
KU
Kannur University
State University · Kannur, Kerala
MoU Signed — 19 January 2026
Formal linkage between Kannur University curricula and K-DISC’s OLOI programme
Students and teachers engage with Local Government wicked problems as part of academic requirements
Quadruple Helix methodology integrated into curriculum design
Faculty development in contextual problem-solving pedagogy and community-linked research
Community engagement built into academic credit structure
Research outputs from OLOI engagements feed into university research repositories

Faculty
K-DISC Programme Faculty
Faculty members who deliver, facilitate, and design K-DISC’s collaborative academic programmes across universities, colleges, and local government institutions.
K-DISC’s faculty network spans Innovation Facilitators, Design Thinking mentors, domain experts, and programme coordinators who bridge university curricula with real-world problem-solving. Faculty contribute to YIP Foundation Training, OLOI Quadruple Helix workshops, CRWPS Mini Project guidance, Manchadi and Mazhavillu pedagogy training, and ODOI Blue Ocean Strategy engagements.
K-DISC Core Faculty
#1
PVU
Dr. P. V. Unnikrishnan
മെമ്പർ സെക്രട്ടറി
K-DISC, Government of Kerala
Overall ArchitectureMoU SignatoryInnovation Policy
#2
DG
Deepa Gopinath
Programme Lead
K-DISC, Government of Kerala
Problem CanvasVoice of StakeholderYIP Evaluation
#3
SC
Srikumar Chatterjee
Programme Specialist
K-DISC, Government of Kerala
OLOIBICCRWPS
#4
BT
Binish Thomas
Innovation Facilitator
K-DISC, Government of Kerala
Design ThinkingYIP Orientation
#5
SR
Shaghna Nath R.U.
Innovation Facilitator
K-DISC, Government of Kerala
OLOIBIC Capacity Building
#6
BP
ബിജു പരമേശ്വരൻ
Innovation Facilitator
K-DISC, Government of Kerala
Problem ShelfProject Lifecycle
#7
VV
Vipin V.C.
Innovation Facilitator
K-DISC, Government of Kerala
YIP EvaluationMaker Camps
#8
EA
Elizabeth Alexander
Innovation Facilitator
K-DISC, Government of Kerala
OLOI CommunityStakeholder Engagement
#9
AA
Asok Kumar A.
Innovation Facilitator
K-DISC, Government of Kerala
Domain ConnectODOIResearch
#10
SS
ഷെറിന്‍ സാം ജോസ്
Innovation Facilitator
K-DISC, Government of Kerala
YIP Faculty OrientationProblem Shelf

Academic Co-ordination
K-DISC Academic Co-ordinators
Academic co-ordinators from K-DISC who manage university partnerships, curriculum integration, and programme implementation across institutions.
DG
Deepa Gopinath
Academic Co-ordinator
K-DISC, Government of Kerala
YIPOLOIKTU Liaison
SC
Srikumar Chatterjee
Academic Co-ordinator
K-DISC, Government of Kerala
CRWPSKKEMIndustry Links
* Additional co-ordinators may be listed as programme teams are confirmed.

The K-DISC Model
Innovation as a Pedagogy
K-DISC is not a teaching institution. It is an innovation ecosystem — one that uses the act of solving real problems as the vehicle for building capacities no classroom can confer.
From 3R to Design Thinking
Conventional education operates on a Read–Recollect–Reproduce (3R) model: content is transmitted, memorised, and assessed. K-DISC’s model replaces this with a Design Thinking–led cycle: Empathise with stakeholders → Define the real problem → Ideate with domain experts → Prototype and test → Reflect and iterate. Every learner — student, local government officer, or job-seeker — is both a learner and a problem-solver.
Three Innovation Centres
Centre of Innovation — scouting ideas and nurturing innovators from grassroots communities
Centre of Competence — incubating and maturing ideas through domain connect, mentorship, and prototyping
Centre of Problem Solving and Technology De-risking — converting validated concepts into products, processes, or research outputs
The Problem Shelf
A centralised digital repository of 1,972 real-world challenges sourced from government departments, panchayats, industries, MSMEs, farmers, and NGOs. Students select from the shelf and execute through a seven-phase Design Thinking lifecycle: Problem Exploration → Empathy Phase → Define → Ideate → Proof of Concept → Presentation → Portfolio.
Inclusive Innovation
62.28% female participation in YIP 8.0
16.52% representation from SC/ST and marginalised communities
I-YwD (Innovation by Youth with Disabilities) — a global first in inclusive innovation
STRIDE: Social Technology Research for Inclusive Design Excellence
Teacher Transformation
Manchadi (Teach Maths for Kerala) — 1,400 schools, Contextualised Realist Maths with Social Constructivist pedagogy
Mazhavillu (Teach Science for Kerala) — Enquiry-Based Integrated science teaching, winner of Best Oral Presentation at Kerala Science Congress 37
2,000+ teachers reached through pedagogical transformation programmes