IIT NewsSummer 2002
UPDATE
Newsletter of Industrial Research & Consultancy Centre

 
IRCC NOTES
IIT Bombay: Recent R&D Indicators
 

The Industrial Research and Consultancy Centre (IRCC) - of which this newsletter UPDATE is a “mouthpiece” - coordinates the entire gamut of funded research and development activities at IIT Bombay (IITB). With major changes rapidly altering the national and global economic framework, we at IITB have been keenly monitoring the resulting impact on the R&D efforts at our institute, and responding through suitable initiatives. Here we summarize some of our major R&D trends and related activities of the recent years.
          The sponsored project funding, that is generally directed to fundamental and long-term research, has been growing annually at the rate of about 10 % at IITB. The funding for industrial consultancy (research), aimed mainly at applied and short-duration research and development is growing at an even higher rate of about 15 %. Taken together, these trends suggest an ongoing intensification of both basic research and more significantly of the interaction between IITB and the industry.
      As reflected in the previous issues of UPDATE, IITB has substantially stepped up its efforts in the direction of intellectual property rights protection. Much as a consequence, the number of patent applications from our institute is on the upswing.
Efforts are underway also towards tying up with external marketing organizations so as to make such innovations available to the prospective end-users.
          The Technology Incubator at our Kanwal Rekhi School of Information Technology is also fairing well. At present it is nurturing six businesses, while three others have already moved out with venture funding. In order to help promote the above mentioned activities and to liaison with the outside world, IIT Bombay is in the process of establishing a Society for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
          The strength of an R&D institution like IITB lies in its faculty members, staff, and students - especially, the postgraduate students. Today in every department there is a drive to induct bright people for faculty, research, as well as student positions. Finally, in order to cater to the growing R&D needs and the associated record keeping and documentation, IRCC is in the process of major office automation.
          We would like the probable users of our resources and capabilities to gain access to all the relevant information easily. Thus we have been continuously expanding our information base for the outside world. Now we make available a considerable amount of information about IITB on the internet - both on the IITB home page (http://www.iitb.ac.in) and on the online version of UPDATE (http://www.ircc.iitb.ac.in/update/), as well as through further details and links.
          IRCC staff joins me and our Dean R&D, Prof. S Suryanarayan, in thanking our readers for the enthusiastic response they have shown towards the past issues of UPDATE. We look forward to such valuable feedback in the future too.

                                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                  

Kannan Moudgalya
                                                                                                                                   Associate Dean R&D

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