Author: Ram Kumar

Catalysing Entrepreneurship at Krea: The Launch of the Centre for Entrepreneurship

Ram Kumar News

From Ideas to Impact 

On 23 January 2026, Krea University marked an important milestone with the inauguration of the Centre for Entrepreneurship (CFE), supported by Catalyst. The launch brought together inquisitive and aspiring entrepreneurs among students alongside faculty members, and staff from across the Krea community to celebrate the setting up of an incubation centre dedicated to nurturing ideas and transforming them into viable ventures. Envisioned as a space for exploration, experimentation, and mentorship, the Centre aims to provide students with the right guidance, resources, and ecosystem support to build from the ground up.

The inauguration, titled Catalysing Entrepreneurship, was more than a ceremonial launch. It was a day rooted in reflection, dialogue, and learning. The sessions were anchored in thoughtful conversations on what it truly means to build from zero to one, scale with clarity and intent, navigate uncertainty, and engage with the systems that enable founders to grow. These discussions highlighted that entrepreneurship is not a linear journey, but one shaped by curiosity, resilience, and informed decision-making.

Experts Speak

Bringing together a diverse group of voices from across the country, the event reflected the many perspectives that shape entrepreneurship in the real world. Founders, investors, incubator leaders, CEOs and VCs shared insights drawn from their own journeys, speaking candidly about early challenges, pivotal moments, failures, and lessons learned along the way. Their experiences offered students a grounded understanding of the entrepreneurial ecosystem, beyond just ideas and ambition.

The Krea community benefited from the presence and generosity of distinguished speakers and panellists, including Mithun Sacheti, Vishesh Rajaram, Mahavir Pratap Sharma, Manish Saksena, Anand Sri Ganesh, Sujay S, Innu Nevatia, Amit Mehta, and Vipul Sekhsaria. Their conversations underscored the importance of building with purpose, staying adaptable in changing environments, and recognising the value of mentorship and collaboration.

Championing Student - Led Ventures

The day culminated in the conferring of a seed fund by Lakshmi Narayanan, Chancellor, Krea University and Professor Nirmala Rao, Vice Chancellor, Krea University to three students from the School of Interwoven Arts and Sciences (SIAS) – Mitansh Aggarwal, Adwitiya Roy, and Viney Jain – for their start-up Sibling, a digital mental health platform transforming how schools deliver student wellbeing, marking a tangible first step from idea to enterprise.

Onwards & Upwards

At its core, the Centre for Entrepreneurship, supported by Catalyst at Krea University, seeks to embed entrepreneurship as a mindset; one that extends across both academic and co-curricular life. The Centre aims to encourage students to think critically, identify real-world problems, and approach solutions with creativity and responsibility. By fostering an environment that values initiative, experimentation, and interdisciplinary thinking, CFE hopes to empower students to take confident steps toward building meaningful ventures.

As the Centre begins its journey, it does so with the belief that entrepreneurship thrives in communities that learn and grow together. The launch of CFE marks the beginning of such a shared endeavour at Krea; one that will continue to evolve alongside its students, faculty, and partners.

Dr Chirag Dhara co-authors an article in Down To Earth’s ‘State of the Environment 2026’ report

Ram Kumar Faculty & Staff Spotlight

Dr Chirag Dhara, Assistant Professor, Environmental Studies, SIAS has co-authored an article in Down To Earth’s ‘State of the Environment 2026’ report titled India’s Climate Apocalypse?

The article discusses how regional hotspots of climate change are emerging across the country and this demands regionally tailored adaptation strategies contingent not only on the nature of climate change but on the exposure and vulnerability of local communities.

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IFMR PhD Scholar Pratibha Jain Selected for GEAR Virtual Programme at the University of Bath

Ram Kumar Student Spotlight

Pratibha Jain, an IFMR GSB PhD Scholar, has been selected for the Global Early-Career Accelerator for Representation (GEAR) virtual programme workshop in the field of Business and Society. The workshop is conducted by the Centre for Business, Organisations and Society (CBOS) at the University of Bath, UK.

The GEAR programme is designed to support early-career researchers by strengthening their theoretical, methodological, and writing capabilities, with a particular focus on developing high-quality research articles suitable for submission to leading academic journals.

Dr Sambaiah Gundimeda, authors an essay in Economic and Political Weekly, Vol 61, No 2 (2026) 

Ram Kumar Faculty & Staff Spotlight

Dr Sambaiah Gundimeda, Associate Professor, Politics, SIAS has authored an essay titled Public Good or Private Gain? The Battle for Andhra’s Medical Colleges in Economic and Political Weekly, Vol 61, No 2 (2026).

Abstract

The controversy over the transfer of seventeen newly sanctioned government medical colleges in Andhra Pradesh to private operators under a Public–Private Partnership (PPP) model has ignited a broad-based movement cutting across political and social divides. At its core, the dispute raises fundamental questions about whether education and healthcare should remain rights of citizenship or be commodified for private profit. The article situates this conflict within the longer trajectory of N Chandrababu Naidu’s market-led PPP vision, contrasting it with YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s welfare-driven public investment. By highlighting issues of redistribution, reservations, and democratic accountability, it argues that the battle is less about fiscal pragmatism and more about safeguarding the moral and constitutional compass of governance.

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Dr Suhail Ahmad co-authors a paper published in Current Psychology journal

Ram Kumar Research Spotlight

A research paper co-authored by Dr Suhail Ahmad, Post-Doctoral Fellow, Psychology, SIAS has recently been published in Current Psychology (Springer Nature), a Q1-ranked journal with an impact factor of 2.6. The paper is titled Psychological and dispositional underpinnings of Internalising, Externalising, and Co-Occurring disorders in children and adolescents. Other authors include Insha Amin Makhdoomi, Clinical Psychologist, SKIMS, Srinagar, J&K; Madhumitta Bhattaccharya, Assistant Professor, Clinical Psychology, CIP Ranchi, and Keerthana CJ Assistant Professor, Psychology and Counselling, ST Joseph’s University, Bengaluru.

Brief Summary:
This study investigated psychological and dispositional correlates of internalising, externalising, and co-occurring problem behaviours in children to facilitate early identification and intervention. An ex post facto cross-sectional design included 60 participants aged 11–17 years, categorised into internalising, externalising, and co-occurring groups (N = 20 per group). Measures included the Developmental Psychopathology Checklist, Child Behaviour Checklist, Raven’s Standard Progressive Matrices, Schutte Emotional Intelligence Scale, Bell Adjustment Inventory, and Thomas and Chess Temperament Characteristics. Results showed higher emotional intelligence in the internalising group and significant differences in adjustment and temperament across groups. Findings highlight the importance of emotional intelligence and temperament assessment in identifying at-risk children and guiding targeted interventions.

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Naveen M, Vidhya Satish Kumar and Dr Pallavi Pandey write for The Economic Times – HRWorld

Ram Kumar Faculty & Staff Spotlight

Naveen M, Teaching Fellow, Marketing & Communication and Vidhya Satish Kumar, Teaching Fellow, OB & HR, under the guidance and support of Dr Pallavi Pandey, Associate Professor, OB & HR, all from IFMR GSB have authored an article published in The Economic Times – HRWorld.

The title of the article is Silent Gatekeepers: How Boss-Level Bias Shapes Who Gets Hired.

Brief about the Article:
The article critically examines how hiring authority in many organisations subtly shifts from structured HR processes to functional heads, where unconscious comfort-based preferences—related to familiarity, region, language, and accent—often override merit and interview performance. Drawing on global research and Indian workplace evidence, the article argues that hiring bias is not merely individual but structural in nature. It concludes with a practical, HR-led framework to redesign hiring systems so that merit, diversity of thought, and cultural contribution replace familiarity as default decision criteria.

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Dr Praveen Bhagawan M presented research papers at India Finance Conference (IFC) at IIM Visakhapatnam

Ram Kumar Faculty & Staff Spotlight

Dr Praveen Bhagawan M, Associate Professor, Finance, Accounting and Quantitative Finance and Area Chair – Finance, Accounting and Quantitative Finance presented two research papers on Bankruptcy Reforms, co-authored with Soumyabrata Basu, Centre Research Fellow Misra Centre for Financial Markets and Economy at Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad and Dr Jyoti Prasad Mukhopadhyay, Associate Professor, Economics and Chairperson – PhD Programme at India Finance Conference (IFC) at IIM Visakhapatnam between 18-20 December 2025. He also discussed two papers and chaired two technical sessions at IFC 2025.

Professor Jayaram Ramakrishnan publishes a book titled Enterprise Performance & Risk Management for MSMEs – A Primer

Ram Kumar Faculty & Staff Spotlight

Professor Jayaram Ramakrishnan, Professor of Practice, IFMR GSB has authored a book titled, Enterprise Performance & Risk Management for MSMEs – A Primer on behalf of the Institute of Cost Accountants of India (ICMAI). The updated edition of the book was released on 11 January 26 at the 63rd National conference of The Institute of Cost accountants of India (ICMAI) at Coimbatore. The book was reviewed by leading academics and industry professionals including Professor G Balasubramanian, Senior Professor and Advisor, IFMR GSB.


The book deals with development of a Management Accounting framework for MSMEs. This was motivated by the existing low uptake and inconsistent use of Management Accounting Practices by MSMEs as observed and suggested by prior research in an Indian context. MSMEs were often found failing to leverage adequately. the potential of management accounting for helping them achieve their financial objectives (primarily profitability and liquidity) while also adequately insuring against risks.

Professor Chandrasekaran N and Dr Suresh G co-author a chapter in A Circular Economy for Manufacturing Waste Management: Pathway Towards Sustainability

Ram Kumar Faculty & Staff Spotlight

Professor Chandrasekaran N, Professor, Operations and Strategy, Area Chair – Strategic Management & Chairperson – Executive MBA programme, IFMR GSB and Dr Suresh G, Assistant Professor, Economics, IFMR GSB along with Dr Ramasubramaniam, have authored a book chapter titled Role of Technology in Sustainable Logistics and Inventory Management with Reference to the Food Corporation of India. The chapter has been published in the forthcoming book A Circular Economy for Manufacturing Waste Management: Pathway Towards Sustainability, published by Routledge.

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