The AICTE IDEA (Idea Development, Evaluation and Application) Lab at Sir M. Visvesvaraya Institute of Technology represents a transformative initiative by the All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) to cultivate a robust ecosystem of innovation, design thinking, creativity, entrepreneurship, and experiential learning within higher education institutions.

The AICTE–Sir MVIT–IDEA Lab (AQIS ID: IDEA2024000114) , established in association with AICTE, serves as a multidisciplinary innovation ecosystem where students, faculty members, and researchers collaboratively ideate, design, prototype, and validate solutions to real-world challenges. The Lab integrates principles of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), fostering problem-solving approaches that are human-centric, sustainable, and scalable.

The AICTE–Sir MVIT–IDEA Lab, established in association with AICTE, serves as a multidisciplinary innovation ecosystem where students, faculty members, and researchers collaboratively ideate, design, prototype, and validate solutions to real-world challenges. The Lab integrates principles of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), fostering problem-solving approaches that are human-centric, sustainable, and scalable.

The IDEA Lab at Sir M. Visvesvaraya Institute of Technology is equipped with state-of-the-art, future-ready infrastructure designed to support innovation across emerging and disruptive technologies. The Lab provides a comprehensive ecosystem that enables students and faculty to ideate, design, prototype, test, and validate solutions in alignment with contemporary industry and societal needs.

Key infrastructure and facilities include:

• Advanced prototyping and fabrication tools, supporting mechanical, electronic, and mechatronic product development.
• Digital manufacturing and rapid prototyping technologies, including 3D printing, CNC-based prototyping, and additive manufacturing systems.
• Design, modeling, and simulation software platforms for product design, system analysis, and performance optimization.
• Dedicated Internet of Things (IoT) and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) workspaces, enabling development of smart devices, connected systems, and data-driven applications
• Embedded systems and hardware innovation labs, equipped with microcontrollers, microprocessors, sensors, actuators, and real-time system development platforms
• PCB design, fabrication, and testing facilities, enabling schematic design, layout development, rapid PCB prototyping, assembly, and validation
• Electric Vehicle (EV) innovation workspace, facilitating hands-on learning in EV subsystems, power electronics, battery management systems, charging infrastructure, and sustainable mobility solutions
• Flexible collaborative, co-creation, and innovation spaces, fostering interdisciplinary teamwork, design thinking, and startup-oriented problem solving

This environment enables learners to move beyond conventional classroom instruction and actively engage in hands-on, project-based, and experiential learning, effectively bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical implementation.

Aligned with the National Innovation and Startup Policy (NISP) and the national vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat, the IDEA Lab plays a pivotal role in:

• Promoting innovation-driven product development
• Nurturing entrepreneurial mindset and startup culture
• Supporting technology translation and commercialization
• Encouraging faculty-led and student-led innovation initiatives

The Lab empowers participants to conceptualize ideas, develop functional prototypes, and evolve them into market-ready technologies, social innovations, or entrepreneurial ventures.

Through structured training programs, design challenges, workshops, hackathons, and interdisciplinary collaborations, the IDEA Lab cultivates:

• Critical and systems thinking
• Design orientation and creativity
• Innovation-led problem-solving capabilities

The Lab actively promotes industry–academia collaboration, ensuring that innovations are industry-relevant, socially impactful, environmentally sustainable, and commercially viable.

Impact and Vision

The AICTE–Sir MVIT–IDEA Lab functions as a catalyst for creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship, preparing future engineers, technologists, innovators, and entrepreneurs to:

• Address emerging societal and industrial challenges
• Contribute meaningfully to national development
• Compete and collaborate in the global innovation ecosystem