Maharashtra State Innovation Society

Dr. Shrikant Patil, CEO, Maharashtra State Innovation Society(MSInS), addressed the ET Edge - The Times Group Best Seller Consumer Brands 2026, sharing his perspective on how deeper consumer understanding can drive relevant and practical innovation.

He spoke about the importance of engaging with consumers, understanding their evolving needs and translating those insights into solutions that work in real-world settings. Highlighting the potential across Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities and rural Maharashtra, he stressed the need to identify and nurture grassroots ingenuity and support promising ideas in moving from concept to implementation.

Dr. Shrikant Patil, Chief Executive Officer, Maharashtra State Innovation Society (MSInS), led a strategic discussion with The Udaiti Foundation on the proposed Women Entrepreneurship Hub and its potential to strengthen Maharashtra’s women startup and entrepreneurship ecosystem.

The discussion focused on building a robust ecosystem to understand the entrepreneurial landscape for women across districts, from access to finance and markets to mentorship, formalization and opportunities for enterprise growth.

Additionally, MSInS and Udaiti Foundation are working on district-level Index which can bring greater visibility to regional strengths and gaps, enabling evidence-based planning, sharper interventions and better allocation of support where it is needed most.

Through initiatives such as the Women Entrepreneurship Hub and Index, MSInS aims to move towards a more measurable and locally responsive approach to advancing women-led enterprises across Maharashtra.

@MSInSociety participated in the FICCI–U.S. Consulate General Mumbai CXO Meet on Artificial Intelligence at the Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai. The high-level interaction brought together policymakers, industry leaders and CXOs to deliberate on the rapidly evolving role of Artificial Intelligence and emerging technologies.

Speaking at the interaction, Dr. Shrikant Patil, Chief Executive Officer, MSInS, highlighted Maharashtra’s focus on building a strong, innovation-led ecosystem where AI and emerging technologies can enable startups, strengthen industries and contribute to technology-driven economic growth.

The discussions explored the evolving role of Artificial Intelligence and emerging technologies, opportunities for deeper India–U.S. collaboration, and the importance of building strong innovation ecosystems that enable technology-led economic growth.

Strengthening Maharashtra’s Clean Energy & Green Hydrogen ecosystem.

@MSInSociety , in collaboration with Venture Center and Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) -NCL, marked an important milestone with the launch of the Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Clean Energy & Green Hydrogen in Pune.

The program featured the inauguration of the Startup Showcase, launch of the Energy Innovation Talk Series, unveiling of the CoE website, and the inauguration of the CoE by Dr. R. A. Mashelkar, Padma Vibhushan. The event was graced by Smt. Manisha Verma , IAS, ACS SEEID, and Dr. Shrikant Patil , CEO, MSInS.

The program witnessed the inauguration of the Fuel Cell & Electrolyzer Testing Facility and the Advanced Battery Testing Facility, expanding the testing infrastructure available for next-generation clean energy technologies.

The CoE will provide a strong platform for startups, researchers and innovators working in clean energy and green hydrogen, giving them access to specialised infrastructure and creating stronger pathways for technology validation, collaboration and development of market-ready solutions.

The Centre represents another step towards building a stronger bridge between research, innovation and entrepreneurship, while accelerating the development of sustainable energy solutions from Maharashtra.

Strengthening the bridge between research, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

Dr. Shrikant Patil, Chief Executive Officer, @msinsociety , visited Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay and explored various innovation and research labs driving cutting-edge technological solutions.

The visit provided valuable insights into IIT Bombay’s strong ecosystem of deep-tech research, technology commercialization and innovation-led entrepreneurship, while opening avenues for greater collaboration between academia, startups, industry and government.