4 Key Pillars of CIC
CENTRE FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION
With its proven track record of 2800 faculty hours and over 28000 learning hours, the CIC has established itself as an excellent forum for public education. It now aspires to institutionalize this effort by establishing a centre of excellence in Public Education. The infrastructure being created will be used for conducting lectures, demonstrations, panel discussions, conferences, seminars, workshops, and exhibitions. The Centre will also provide financial grants for the publication of Books/Papers/Reports. Physical infrastructure for conducting Research will be provided. The Centre will also commission study reports in consultation with public authorities and will act as the hub for implementation. Book launches and discussions would be an essential function of the Centre. It also proposes to organize debates, essays and quiz programs among school and college students. Public Officials, policymakers, NGOs, school and college students and the public would be the focus group of this Centre. The resource people would be amongst policy influencers, policymakers, diplomats, authors, scientists, members of the academia, captains of industry, entrepreneurs, media persons and experts.
CENTRE FOR ART AND CULTURE
The Centre for Art and Culture will conduct live performances, lecture demonstrations, panel discussions, conferences, seminars, workshops, literary festivals, and art exhibitions. The Centre will also offer financial grants for the publication of Books/Papers/Reports, Infrastructure Assistance in the form of access to Art Gallery at reasonable rates for rural and upcoming Artists/Artisans and Craftsmen, commissioning of Study Reports, and conducting Book Launch/Book Discussions. The focus audience for this Centre will be public officials, policymakers, NGOs, school and college students, and members of the public. The resource persons would, inter alia, include artists, artisans, craftspersons, writers, playwrights, luminaries from the media, NGOs, critics, and experts
CENTRE FOR SUSTAINABILITY
The Centre for Sustainability will focus attention on issues concerning the city’s environment and co-create solutions aimed at preservation and sustainability. It will conduct panel discussions, conferences, seminars, and workshops on the theme of sustainability. The Centre will also offer financial grants for the publication of Books / Papers / Reports, Infrastructure Assistance in the form of access to research space, use of the library and internet access to researchers and not-for-profits engaged in this area. The Centre will also commission Study Reports. The focus of this Centre will be all stakeholders, be it public officials, policymakers, non-profit organizations, scientists and innovators, school and college students, and members of the public.
CENTRE FOR INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY
The Centre for Innovation and Technology will focus on nurturing the scientific spirit that Chennai is known for globally. The Engineering colleges, technical institutions and research parks have already created a pool of highly skilled technical manpower. The need is to develop an ecosystem to guide and mentor this talent towards innovation and entrepreneurship. The Centre will endeavour to play this role, creating a platform where captains of industry, successful entrepreneurs, members of academia, and acclaimed scientists/innovators could meet budding talent and mentor them.
CENTRE FOR PARTNERSHIP & CIVIL SOCIETY
The Centre for Partnership with Civil Society, as its name indicates, will seek out public authorities and jointly take up public projects. This could take the shape of a knowledge partnership or as an implementation agency by raising resources from private philanthropists and corporate entities (CSR).