Dakshina Kannada administration inks MoU with NITK to set up civic think tank consortium

Mangaluru: Dakshina Kannada district administration has formally entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Institute of Technology Karnataka (NITK), Surathkal, to find solutions to local issues.

D K Deputy Commissioner Mullai Muhilan MP said the collaboration aims to integrate the intellectual and technical capacities of academic institutions into the district's development strategy-setting the foundation for a long-term, structured partnership between governance and knowledge ecosystems. The MoU marks the first formal step towards establishing a consortium of local institutions as civic think tanks, supporting the district administration through research, design, and youth-led interventions, he said

The partnership will operate on a biannual engagement model, aligning academic calendars with the district's development priorities. "We will come up with a platform for setting up consortium of all educational institutions to contribute innovative solutions and products for challenges sourced from various departments. These initiatives will be supported and mentored, with a focus on nurturing them into pilot-ready implementations and, eventually, socially-driven startups" DC said.

The MoU aligns with the broader vision of the district administration to ideate and pilot innovative initiatives to effectively involve talented citizens in developing solutions with positive societal impact. It stands as a symbolic representation of the administration's continued efforts to partner with universities an approach already initiated through its flagship programme Solve4DK, which engaged students from regional institutions. These students will develop practical solutions addressing waste management, traffic systems, and other civic challenges by working closely with the Mangaluru City Corporation and the Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC)", he said.

Prof B Ravi, Director, NITK, stated, "This collaboration leverages research and innovation to benefit Mangaluru. We look forward to working with MCC to create impactful solutions.

"The partnerships of this sort institutionalises youth engagement in governance through sustained collaboration and establish mechanisms for policy continuity through continued innovation and feedback. Institutions benefit through impactful, applied research, while students gain the opportunity to work on real-world challenges-helping them acquire key competencies for a meaningful career."

MCC commissioner Ravichandra Naik, zilla panchayat CEO Dr Anandh K, and Mangaluru Smart City Limited MD Raju K were other signatories to the MoU.