Students of IIT-Patna can pick up entrepreneurship skills along with technical knowledge from this academic year.

Ajai Chowdhry, the chairman of the premier institute, said on Friday: “Taking a leaf out of the activities of IIT-Hyderabad, we are planning to start an entrepreneurship course for our students.”

He added: “This year, the course will be only for six months. But from next year, it will be a regular course for final-year BTech and MTech students.”

The purpose of the course would be to engage fresh talent, support students to set up incubation centres and train them through internship programmes. Such a course is also offered at IIT-Kharagpur.

Students who take up the course would learn about accounts and financing, sales and management, how to start a company, skills required to sell products that usually students of business study in college. They would also be provided financial assistance to set up their own companies.

Chowdhry, a founder member of HCL Solutions, is also a member of India Angel Network — a group of successful entrepreneurs and CEOs who help start-up companies through investment and advice.

The website of India Angel Network says: “Started in April 2006, the Indian Angel Network is a unique concept which brings together highly successful entrepreneurs and CEOs from India and around the world who are interested in investing in start-up/early stage ventures which have the potential of creating disproportionate value.

“The Network, in addition to money, provides constant access to high quality mentoring, vast networks and inputs on strategy as well as execution. The Network members, because of their background, are better able to assess the potential and risks at the early stage.”

Chowdhry said: “After passing out of IITs, students seek jobs. But engineers in Europe and US aspire to be entrepreneurs.”

Students are very happy with the new development.

Welcoming the initiative of the institute, Abhishek, a third-year electronics student, said: “Last year, IIT-Patna, following the example of other IITs, started an entrepreneurship club where eminent personalities from across the country deliver lectures and inspire students to become entrepreneurs.”

The IIT-Patna chairman has other plans up his sleeves for the all-round grooming of the students of the institute.

“They should be groomed in everything — there should be emphasis on English communication, learning about society, economics, business and psychology,” he said.

Asked how the new entrance examination pattern for the IITs would help the students, he said: “Earlier, IIT aspirants would ignore the board examinations. Now, along with studying for the IIT entrance, they will focus on their boards as the marks they score in the school leaving examinations would also be counted.”

Chowdhry said students in the state had huge entrepreneurship potential, as was evident from their performance in competitive examinations.

He also praised the decision of the government to invite private universities to the state, adding that students would not have to migrate to other states anymore.