Chennai, July 30, 2025 – In a landmark moment for Tamil Nadu’s innovation ecosystem, Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister Thiru Udhayanidhi Stalin officially inaugurated the 1st Innovate in Tamil Nadu (IN²TN) IP Conclave at the iconic Anna Centenary Library. The event, organized by the Tamil Nadu Technology Hub (iTNT Hub) under the IT & Digital Services Department, was themed “Intellectual Powerhouse: Transforming Tamil Nadu into the Innovation Capital of India”.
🔍 Key Highlights & Strategic Initiatives
✅ Seed Funding for DeepTech Startups
At the inauguration ceremony, Deputy CM Stalin distributed seed fund cheques from iTNT’s FOUNDATION Fund to five emerging DeepTech startups incubated under the PATHFINDER program—affirming state support for innovation-led entrepreneurship.
✅ Tech Transfer & MoUs to Bridge Campus & Industry
- Through the Tamil Nadu Technology Transfer Facilitation Centre (TNTTFC), four academic-industry tech transfers were formalized.
- Seven Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) were signed with major organizations such as WIPO, NRDC, Bosch India, Mahindra & Mahindra, CDAC, and ASME India.
✅ Massive Participation & Learning Opportunities
Nearly 1,500 participants, including DeepTech researchers, patent holders, startup founders, investors, academia, and policymakers, attended the conclave.
A highlight was a day -long masterclass series organized in collaboration with Intellectual Property India, which saw participation from 270 researchers, students, and startup founders.
✅ iTNT Hub’s Incubation Milestones
- Graduation of 53 researchers and patent holders via the BEACON idea -validation program from Tier -2 and Tier -3 engineering colleges.
- Onboarding of 21 startups/researchers to the PATHFINDER 2.0 cohort and 22 to the iAccelerate 2.0 cohort—further fueling Tamil Nadu’s innovation pipeline.
💡 Vision Forward: Building Tamil Nadu as an Innovation Powerhouse
Deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin described the conclave as a transformative milestone in the state’s innovation journey. He stressed IP’s dual role as a creative and economic asset, calling upon startups, academia, and industry to elevate Tamil Nadu into India’s intellectual property hub. The efforts reflect decades-long visionary governance, from late CM M. Karunanidhi’s early IT policy to Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s digital initiatives. Today, Chennai stands as the SaaS capital of India, and Tamil Nadu remains a top software exporter, thriving in Tier -2 cities such as Coimbatore and Madurai.
