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A recent report by a
global consulting firm projected that India would be one of the
major global superpowers in 2050. To convert this scenario to
reality, India would have to attain a leadership position in
science and technology. Institutions like the IITs have an
important role to play in this.
IIT Bombay has
decided to give a greater impetus to Research and Development
(R&D). We feel that the main ingredient for successful R & D is
enthusiastic young minds. To achieve this, we are launching a
National Research Fellowship Scheme to provide challenging
opportunities for bright young students to pursue a research
career at IIT Bombay. We hope to encourage the best students
around the country to pursue a research degree at our institute
(M. Tech./ Ph.D) while simultaneously contributing to basic
research and technology development. We plan to reach out to
science and engineering colleges around the country and enthuse
students about the possibilities of research in our Institute
(see at the bottom).
India has already
been recognized as a potential research hub for its competence in
software and analytical skills by many global companies. It is
important to realise that we can also make an impact in cutting
edge research areas like Nanotechnology. Recently we organised an
in-house symposium on nanotechnology showcasing the existing
projects in nanomaterials, nanobiotechnology, and nanoelectronics.
A look at the presentations and posters revealed that researchers
at IITB are at the forefront of this rapidly growing field.
Although the Indian
industry is beginning to enhance its R & D spending, currently it
is only 0.5% of its sales turnover. This accounts for about 20% of
the nation's total R & D expenditure. Contrast this with an
industrial R & D contribution of 52% in the European Union, 68% in
the US and 72% in Japan. If our industry is to be globally
competitive, its focus on R & D will have to increase. This will
also need enhanced industry-academic linkages.
IIT Bombay has good
industrial links as evident from the large number of industrial
consultancy and sponsored projects. However, many of these
projects have a relatively short term focus since they address the
immediate concerns of the industry. At IIT Bombay, we are keen to
pursue long-term research partnerships with industry. The aim is
to build joint research teams that operate across the
academia-industry boundary and leverage on each other’s strengths
to create future technologies and products. We have initiated
discussions with several large industries to build such
partnerships and have been encouraged by their response. We
realise that in order to build meaningful partnerships, we must
enable greater industry-academia interaction. We are in the
process of building a web-portal that will help in this process
and facilitate innovative problem solving. Interestingly the idea
of this portal was seeded by an initiative from the Ministry of
Human Resources and Development. Government, Industry and Academia
must work together if India is to make its mark in science and
technology. IIT Bombay has also established a Society for
Innovation in Entrepreneurship to facilitate the incubation of
research ideas into commercial products.
As a nation we have
all the ingredients required to provide a push to R&D. We must
make the transition from technology followers to technology
leaders. This is not by any means an easy task. We need help from
the bright, ambitious researchers of the country. We need them to
opt for a research career in India. We need commitment from the
industry and the government to provide challenging opportunities
to these researchers. At IIT Bombay we have taken the plunge with
our new initiatives and hope they will have the desired effect.
Rangan Baneerjee
Associate Dean (R&D)
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