New Delhi, Aug 9 (KNN) Eyeing to promote, support and guide the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) of the region, Karnataka Small Scale Industries Association (KASSIA) has embarked on an ambitious project of setting up the KASSIA Centre of Excellence and Innovation at Dobbaspet on the Mumbai-Bangalore Industrial Corridor, close to the National Industrial manufacturing Zone on the NH-4.

The Centre is conceived with a view to help the micro and small industries acquire the necessary competitive edge by providing advanced facilities for technology up-gradation as well as marketing, skill development and exhibition facilities under one roof.

This will be an extremely useful and supportive multi-dimensional resource facility for members of KASSIA and the MSMEs in general, said KASSIA in a press release.

“We aim to develop a world-class skill development centre at the KASSIA Centre of Excellence and Innovation at Dobbaspet with residential accommodation for the trainees so that outstation trainees will have no problem of accommodation thereby spreading its reach wider,” it added.

The key components of the KASSIA excellence centre include Centre for Enterprise Development, International Exhibition Centre, Common Tool Room, Marketing Centre, R&D Testing Centre and Green Initiatives, among others.

The Centre for Enterprise Development would focus on enterprise development in rural and semi urban areas by aligning with government schemes and programs and leveraging them.

As an integral part of the Excellence Centre, a technology development centre along with a tool room will be set up to encourage indigenous development of technology including product design and development, said KASSIA.

Recognizing the importance of marketing, KASSIA Market Development Centre will provide market access to SME products nationally and internationally and also help in branding and IPR creation.

“The Centre will operate as the nodal point for market information in alignment with the information centre as well as being able to guide the entrepreneurs in accessing new markets making use of the latest marketing and promotional tools”, said KASSIA.

Besides, KASSIA will create a special App-‘E-Commerce B2B Network’ to help MSMEs to grow their business through B2B networking.

Also, KASSIA will take initiatives to encourage and promote industry clusters along with full fledged infrastructure facilities in such clusters.

KASSIA will work with the Government to provide assistance to help MSMEs by encouraging them to take part in fairs and Buyer-Seller meets and matchmaking events through subsidies for local and international participation, KASSIA stated.

For the overall development of the state’s economy, KASSIA will bring together the two important segments of the economy, agriculture and SMEs, with the latest technology and to give an impetus to such initiatives, KASSIA will organize a major exhibition in Belagavi this year on agricultural food products and technology.

Apart from aforementioned initiatives, KASSIA will organize industrial adalats in the 5 regions/District headquarters of the state to highlight and address the problems faced by industry by bringing the MSMEs face to face with the authorities in those regions.

 These Adalats will be held in Bengaluru, Kalburgi, Mangaluru, Hubballi and Shivamogga, said KASSIA.

On land allotments to MSME, KASSIA, President, Basavraj S.Javali said, “We will make all our efforts to bring more private involvement through KASSIA Industrial Infrastructure Cooperative Society to develop land for SME entrepreneurs by developing full fledged development plots/ sheds at very competitive prices.

Taking every step towards the betterment and prosperity of MSMEs, KASSI will also hold meetings like vendor development meet, meeting with consular/ trade offices.