Guwahati: Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma called for Assam to transition from a technology consumer to a creator and from a resource-dependent State to a technology-driven one during the launch of the MC²+ IGNITE outreach programme at IIT Guwahati on Thursday.
The event marked a stronger push for collaboration among industry, academia, and entrepreneurs, underscored by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between MC²+ and IIT Guwahati and the inauguration of the MC²+ Co-Working Node at the NRL Centre in Guwahati.
The MC²+ initiative, representing Multiply, Collaborate, Create, brings together the MC²+ Foundation, IIT Guwahati, Oil India Limited, and Numaligarh Refinery Limited to advance innovation and entrepreneurship, primarily in energy and related sectors.
Sarma noted that after years of strengthening infrastructure, connectivity, and human development, Assam is entering a new economic phase focused on expanding the productive capacity of its people and enterprises. He advocated for a distinct Assam Model of Entrepreneurship that leverages local strengths, including processing in agriculture, biotechnology in biodiversity, modern design in handlooms and bamboo, and technology-driven tourism, while solving regional challenges that could translate into global solutions.
Highlighting the evolution of the local energy sector, the Chief Minister emphasized that Assam has expanded beyond crude production into refining, biofuels, and clean-energy technologies. He stressed that future energy growth must be driven by locally developed solutions tailored to regional conditions rather than imported technologies.
Addressing the energy transition, he pointed to opportunities in green hydrogen, biofuels, decarbonization, and digital energy systems, citing existing investments by Numaligarh Refinery Limited in startups focused on second-generation ethanol enzymes and blockchain-based energy tracking. He urged energy giants like Oil India Limited and Numaligarh Refinery Limited to present real industrial challenges to startups for live testing and adoption.
Sarma highlighted the ongoing MC²+ IGNITE programme, which features thirty startups and a thirty crore rupee grant pool, as a vital framework for providing mentorship, funding, and technical resources. He called on the newly formed Assam Innovation and Startup Foundation to work alongside MC²+ to build a statewide pipeline connecting industrial problems with young talent across technical institutions, ensuring innovation extends beyond major hubs like Guwahati.
Held at the Dr. Bhupen Hazarika Auditorium under the theme "Start-Up Ecosystem in the Northeast Region," the event gathered over two hundred startups and a thousand students. The newly opened MC²+ Co-Working Space provides over fifty workstations, dedicated cabins, and technical support facilities to connect local innovations with major public-sector needs.
Backed by a consortium of public sector oil and gas enterprises under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, the MC² Foundation holds a committed corpus of 455 crore rupees over five years to transition lab-developed energy technologies into field deployment. Prominent officials present included Chief Secretary Ravi Kota, Oil India Limited CMD Dr. Ranjit Rath, and IIT Guwahati Director Prof. Devendra Jalihal.
