IInvenTiv is going to be a mega research & development fair where 75 select projects brought out by country’s 23 IITs will be on display to make the R & D by these IITs visible to the stakeholders—industry, policy makers (Government), other institutions and the students. The 75 projects have been chosen in line with the theme of the celebration of 75 years of Independence in line with the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav The fair will be held at the IIT Delhi campus and will be inaugurated by the union Education Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan.
There are ten broad themes identified in focused areas for the event:
- Defence and aerospace
- Healthcare (including devices and digital health)
- Environment and Sustainability (including air, water, rivers)
- Clean Energy & Renewables (including Hydrogen and EV)
- Manufacturing (including smart, advanced and industry 4.0)
- AI/ML/Blockchain technologies (including quantum computing)
- Smart Cities & Infrastructure (including smart mobility)
- Communication Technologies (including education and 5G)
- Robotics, Sensors & Actuators
- Semiconductors, Flexible electronics & Nanotechnology
A Steering Committee headed by Dr. Pawan Goenka, Chairman, BoG IIT Madras and Dr. BVR Mohan Reddy, Chairman, BoG IIT Hyderabad and IIT Roorkee; has been assigned to look after the event. Apart from creating holistic awareness around the research and innovation work being done by the IITs, IInvenTiv would be also a way of seeking collaborative avenues among state universities and institutes, industry, and the IITs for better development and reach of the innovations at the grass roots level. While on the first day (Oct 14), there will showcasing the 2-day event will hold interactive as well as one-to-one sessions among the academia and industry representatives.
A total of 75 projects brought out by 23 IITs are selected for the event, along with 6 showcase projects. Out of the 6 showcase projects,
- IIT Kanpur will lead a presentation on the ongoing R&D in drone technology and how diverse its utilities have become;
- IIT Bombay will lead a presentation on the Bahubhaashakproject, which enables speech-to-speech translation, NPTEL, SWAYAM, MOOCs videos in vernacular languages, in-line with the vision of National Education Policy 2020;
- IIT Madras will lead a presentation on 5G Core and allied technologies;
- IIT Delhi will lead a presentation on the R&D in the broader areas of climate change, agriculture, rural technologies, sanitation etc;
- IIT Kharagpur will lead a presentation on affordable healthcare devices and technologies;
- and IIT Hyderabad will lead a presentation on the technological innovations in the electric vehicle (EV) sector.
The selected projects will be presented before the audience in designated booths during the 2-day mega event. Representatives from Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) and National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM), will be present at the event. The audience shall also include administrators and students from universities and colleges from small towns, global IIT alumni, faculties of various CFTIs, scientists from DRDO, ISRO, CSIR and ICAR, and so on.
The event would also host administrators and students from institutions from tier 2 and tier 3 cities for them to have a closer glimpse of the R&D ecosystem of IITs and in turn inculcate similar innovation-driven outlook towards developing projects of national interest. It would facilitate a comprehensive understanding of the requirements at the grass roots level in key areas such as agriculture, rural development, sanitation, resource management etc., and would engage them to develop innovations that make a positive impact on a larger section of society.
Dr. Pawan Goenka, Chairman, BoG IIT Madras in a press conference where the event was announced said, “There are two main objectives of the event. One is to showcase R & D happening in the IITs and that way have its visibility and two, to make a case for more spending on R & D by the industry which is far less than other countries. If country has to move towards $5 trillion economy and towards self-reliance and furthering the vision of ”Make in India” and Atmanirbhar Bharat in next 25 years, then the growth has to be technology led and therefore role of R & D and adapting innovations will be big.”
Saying that IInvenTiv will have impact on the nation, Dr. BVR Mohan Reddy, Chairman, BoG IIT Hyderabad and IIT Roorkee speaking at the conference said that stakeholders will find this initiative engaging—industry which is looking at innovative solutions to bring in new products and services, Government in order to solve bigger challenges at long gestation R & D projects, other institutions seeking to learn from IITs and the students seeking exciting idea. He added, ‘’India has the advantage of demographic dividend but resources are finite. So there is need of creating human capital and it is about education, How much R & D has been translated into innovation that can be monetized is important. In that sense, this event is a step in that direction of engaging stakeholders for accelerating this chain to solve real problems. The Fair provides an opportunity to learn, exchange ideas and innovate for accelerating country’s progress in the ‘Amrit kaal’.”
Prof. B. S. Murty, Director, IIT Hyderabad, said, “This R&D Fair is envisioned to enhance the public perception of the IIT ecosystem and to look for potential collaborative avenues among key stakeholders”
