The Research and Innovation Day 2023 was organized by the Institute of Eminence (IOE) Pillar II Exemplary Research and Innovation Team of Manipal College of Nursing (MCON), Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Manipal on October 20, 2023. The chief guest for the inaugural program was Dr Sharath Kumar Rao K, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Health Sciences, MAHE Manipal, and the guest of honor was Dr Satish Rao BS, Director, Directorate of Research, MAHE Manipal. Dr. Sharath Kumar Rao expressed the paradigm shift of nurses as nurse researchers, coming out of the boundaries of patient care alone. The innovations developed by nurse researchers can contribute to preventive care globally. He congratulated Team MCON for being the number one institution in the country's education world ranking. Dr. Sathish Rao BS pointed out that MAHE stands out in the field of research and innovation. He emphasized that the research ecosystem in MAHE is conducive for upcoming researchers to flourish in their field. He also acknowledged the contribution of Manipal College of Nursing towards the research and publication.

Dr. Judith A. Noronha, Dean, Manipal College of Nursing, accorded a warm welcome to all the dignitaries, faculty, PhD scholars, and students. Dr. Baby S. Nayak, Pillar II head, gave an overview of Research and Innovation Day 2023.

Dr G Arun Maiya, Dean, Manipal College of Health Professions, MAHE, Manipal, delivered a session on Promoting and Fostering Interdisciplinary Research. He highlighted the importance of research innovations through an interdisciplinary approach by linking them to the Sustainable Development Goals. The session on How to Innovate swiftly and systematically: A Step-by-Step Approach” was deliberated by Dr. Manish Thomas, Chief Executive Officer, Manipal-GOK Bioincubator. He oriented on the process of innovation by providing useful resources for young nurse researchers and elaborated on the areas of translational research in nursing. Chythra R Rao, Additional Professor, Department of Community Medicine, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, in her session on “Scientific Writing Made Easy: A Step-by-Step Approach,” outlined the structure of writing a good manuscript and discussed journal selection and establishing the author profile. She motivated the authors by giving tips for writing the manuscript by adhering to the essential guidelines of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). The post-lunch session was deliberated by Dr. Bharati Chogtu Magazine, Deputy Director, Directorate of Research, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, on “MAHE Research Policies and Research Support”. She highlighted the updated research policies and research facilities available for faculty and students of MAHE. The last session of the day was by Dr. Rajeshkrishna Bhandary P on “Publication Ethics and Research Integrity”. He emphasized the importance of integrity in carrying out the research and following strict guidelines of publication ethics.

The competition was also conducted for innovative ideas among the students. A total of 28 students competed in 10 groups, presenting their ideas in the form of posters, models, and PowerPoints. The different departments of MCON exhibited their achievements in Research and innovation. The innovative ideas of the students were evaluated by Dr. Mohammed Zuber, Chief Innovation Officer, MAHE, Manipal and Dr. Komal Smriti, Associate Professor, Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, MAHE, Manipal. The first-best innovative idea award was presented to Ms Rydha Ann Roy and her group and Ms. Jemima James and her group received the second-best innovative idea award. A total of 205 participants attended the program. The vote of thanks was proposed by Mrs Jeyalakshmi K and the program was compered by Ms Seelia Peter and Ms Prathibha Lydia Brags.

This program contributes to the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4: Quality Education and SDG 17: Partnerships for the goals.