Children's Research University Unveils 'Kidnovation' to Convert Student Ideas into Patents Across Gujarat

The Children's Research University (CRU) in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, has initiated a pioneering program named 'Kidnovation' to foster innovation among schoolchildren by converting their creative ideas into patents and intellectual property. The six-month initiative was formally launched on June 23, 2024, coinciding with the 87th death anniversary of renowned educationist Gijubhai Badheka.

According to TS Joshi, Vice-Chancellor of CRU, the program is inspired by the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which emphasizes creativity, scientific thinking, and experiential learning. "The programme seeks to identify promising young innovators across Gujarat and provide them with mentorship, technical support and legal assistance to convert their ideas into patentable innovations," Joshi stated.

A CRU official explained that Kidnovation aims to bridge the gap between children's imagination and real-world innovation. Many original ideas generated by children often remain undocumented due to a lack of guidance and resources. Kidnovation intends to create a structured ecosystem at the school level to address this challenge.

Under the leadership of Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, the state is undertaking various initiatives to transform itself into a hub of knowledge and innovation. One of Kidnovation's key objectives is to facilitate the filing of 20 to 30 provisional patents with the Indian Patent Office, with ownership rights retained entirely by the child innovators.

The program plans to train approximately 100 selected students from across Gujarat in design thinking, innovation, and prototyping. Additionally, the journeys of these young innovators will be documented through 100 innovation case studies, which will be archived digitally in a "Kidnovation Log."

Kidnovation will also produce a policy-oriented pedagogical white paper focused on developing intellectual property awareness among primary school students. This white paper will be submitted to the Gujarat government's education department to inform future educational strategies.

The program is structured to unfold in multiple phases from June to November 2026. Following the launch, orientation sessions for teachers and school coordinators will take place. July and August will focus on scouting ideas and mentoring participants. In September, experts will conduct prior-art searches and evaluate submissions to identify the most original concepts, according to Nilesh Pandya of the CRU Training Centre.

A major highlight of the initiative is a two-day residential prototyping boot camp scheduled for October 15-16 at the CRU campus, coinciding with the birth anniversary of former President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. Around 50 shortlisted students are expected to participate in hands-on workshops and showcase their prototypes.