Article’s

Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are increasingly recognized as pivotal actors in advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In India, the Ministry of Education’s Innovation Cell (MIC) established Institution’s Innovation Councils (IICs) to embed innovation and entrepreneurship education into academic ecosystems. Yet, empirical evidence on how IIC functions translate into SDG aligned outcomes remains limited. This study addresses that gap by adopting an explanatory sequential mixed methods design. Quantitative content analysis of IIC activity reports (2022–2024) and Yukti NIR (Nation Innovation Repository) submissions was complemented by qualitative interviews with IIC presidents, faculty coordinators, student innovators, and industry mentors. Results reveal that IIC activities cluster around five stages—ecosystem creation, capacity building, solution development, validation & scaling, and impact recognition—collectively forming the IIC Pathway Model. Case examples include a low cost water purifier (SDG 3, SDG 6, SDG 11), a solar micro grid startup (SDG 7, SDG 13), and sustainable product ventures (SDG 8, SDG 9). The model demonstrates how structured innovation processes operationalize SDGs at the institutional level.