HRD to form panel to review research works in IITs, says HRD Minister

CHENNAI: In a major move aimed at promoting indigenous innovations to give a boost to 'Make in India' campaign, the flagship scheme of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Prakash Javadekar on Thursday announced that a committee would be constituted to review ongoing research works in all premier technical institutions.

"As the Centre has already approved establishment of research parks at IIT Delhi, IIT Guwahati, IIT Kanpur, IIT Hyderabad, IIT Gandhi Nagar and IISc Bangalore at a total cost of Rs 75 crore, the government would review their progress," the HRD Minister said while inaugurating state-of-the-art IIT Madras Research Park (IITMRP) on Thursday.

"Since we have provided funds for several IITs to set up such research parks, the ministry would set up a panel to ensure whether the efforts of IIT Madras have been replicated everywhere or not? This is what the New India that the our Prime Minister Narendra Modi is talking about," the minister said, adding that setting up of research parks at IIT Kharagpur and IIT Bombay are in advanced stage.

In a veiled attack on Congress, the minister said, "When country's first Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru had inaugurated Bhagra-Nangal Dam, he termed that as temple of development, but in real terms the temples of modern India are research parks at different IITs as it's helping in building a New India."

"The IIT Madras research park is a modern temple, which would guide the society for years together and the IIT Madras incubation cell and research park is a real interaction between industry and academia," the HRD Minister

said.

"The industry-academia collaboration has been talked about a lot but here it is being done effectively. There are startup companies, innovators and corporate in an ecosystem of innovation. They are enthused by the innovation of others in this ecosystem," the minister said.

Javadekar further said that incubation cells, like the one at IIT Madras, are the real key to 'Make in India.' "Now, by seeing the IIT Madras experiment, many Indian companies and universities have started funding research in India rather than funding research abroad. The industry is showing confidence on our innovators, scientists, etc."

"We are having a big campaign of 'Smart Campus,' which aims to save, conserve and recycle water besides water harvesting. The research being done at such premier institutes is to carry out relevant research. The second aspect of this smart campus is save and generate electricity," Javadekar stated.

Speaking on the occasion, IIT Madras Director Bhaskar Ramamurthi said, "The Research Park is a game-changer for the faculty and students of IIT Madras as well as the companies collaborating with us. The alchemy created by the coming t

ogether of faculty, students and professionals from industry has led to many disruptive innovations, exemplified by the award-winning start-ups emerging from the Incubators at the Research Park."