IIM Calcutta, SoDT, Mission Samriddhi collaborate to set up Center of Excellence for Design Thinking

NEW DELHI: Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, School of Design Thinking, and Mission Samriddhi, a social impact platform dedicated to holistic development of Rural India, today signed a tripartite agreement to promote Design Thinking for institutional leadership. The agreement will be valid for three years.

IIMC, SoDT, and Mission Samriddhi will collaborate to establish India's first-of-its-kind ‘Centre of Excellence for Design Thinking’ in the business school. The centre will serve as the focus for all Design Thinking initiatives undertaken by IIMC and its affiliated entities. The centre aims to strengthen the focus on design thinking in academic curriculum, research and projects.

Speaking on the occasion, Bhaskar Chakrabarti, dean, IIM Calcutta, said, “One of the biggest challenges in the implementation of policies is in effectively reaching the intended recipient. While there are a number of studies and research initiatives to understand this lacuna, one area that has not been considered is the 'human' element. This is where Design Thinking plays a vital role, especially in our social outreach initiatives. I am very happy that IIM Calcutta, School of Design Thinking and Mission Samriddhi are coming together to study and drive initiatives towards effective outcomes keeping the stakeholders in the centre.”

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Initiatives

The following initiatives will be taken under the IIMC, SoDT, and Mission Samriddhi collaboration.

• In partnership with SoDT, IIMC will provide Design Thinking courses and interventions across many fields.
• Design Thinking modules and tasks will be created for academic and training programmes.
• Workshops, forums, and seminars will be held to promote Design Thinking as an approach for innovation.
• In collaboration with MS, collaborative research projects, community-impacting social initiatives, and impact studies will be commenced and there will be a joint ownership of publications and other materials of interest.
• The cooperative will include best practices in Design Thinking to reach a larger audience.
• SoDT will establish a Centre of Excellence at IIMC to promote Design Thinking as a mindset.

Reaching out to rural clusters

Mission Samriddhi's Community Development Framework focuses on the creation and development of initiatives that are sustainable and scalable, with the goal of positively impacting the greater community. It will assist this initiative by working with IIMC to reach out to rural clusters in the area.

Arun Jain, CMD Intellect Design Arena and Founder-Trustee Mission Samriddhi, an evangelist of Design Thinking said, “Building a powerful and responsible society is a very important task in the journey of any nation. It goes without saying that the role of academia is very critical in supporting the nation's growth. This is a unique and timely action by IIMC. Mission Samriddhi is pleased to partner with the institution in this first-of-its-kind initiative. It brings along its robust and deep rural network connect which will help to translate classroom knowledge to on-the-field application to influence community-impacting social initiatives. The synergy between IIMC and Mission Samriddhi will help in transforming not only the mindset of the students but the broader stakeholder canvas.’’