According to a statement released on Saturday at Thiruvananthapuram, a proposal submitted by the state startup mission (KSUM) to grant sabbatical leave to faculty members across all colleges of the state to launch startups have been given the go-ahead by the Kerala Government. The move is to encourage academics to join the new entrepreneurship of the state. The proposal states that the teachers can launch their own startups, form a group and/or join as owner or co-owner with the students.

To implement the project on a  pilot basis, a team of 10 faculty members will be selected by an expert panel headed by KSUM CEO Saji Gopinath. State IT secretary M. Sivasankar, who claims this project to be a first of a kind in India said, ““The participation of teachers, with active support from college authorities and parents, will bring experience and responsibility in the startups.”

The project is to boost the startup ecosystem in which the participation of the academic community is vital. Kerala Government has a resolution to support and in turn speed up the startup ecosystem. Proposal guidelines state only regular faculty members can opt for the sabbatical with or without pay which is to be decided by the institution.