1. Brain Gain : Promoting Research and
Innovation
An effective Industry Academia Interface
model to bridge the gap
Team Detail : Shyam SundEr PRASAD, IITB
Prudhvi Tej Immadi, IITB
Rahul Prajapat, IITB
Sagar Sharma, IITB
DEEPAK MALANI, IITB
2. Two outcomes of good
education
Enabling to migrate to a
better attractive society
“Conveyance”
Following the first world
countries and delivering
their needs
Betterment in situ
elevation
Interpreting societal
needs and translating to
application
The dormant potential of 54% youth in the 130 crore
population
• ‘Drinking water Problem’ is not really a technical problem. Even though it is, it is a
research problem for ‘lower’ Indian Institutions to address.
Great deficit of courses
in societal modeling.
Inverted incentive
structure in socio-
economically important
engineering job market.
Separated R&D and
curricular teaching.
Research of relevance to
state and society of
developed world and not
ours.
Poor skillset in
undergraduate students.
3. Addressing societal needs through engineering college
students
• Creating an ecosystem among students enabling research aptitude
towards socio economic issues
• Building Industry- Academia Interface
• Creating a conducive environment for new industries to flourish
Vision
Industry Academia
Filling this gap
by Government
intervention
How ?
By setting set up “Educational Institutes Innovation Cell
(EIIC)” in every higher educational institutes
Primary Objectives
• Taking up projects from local PSUs, regional
SMEs, NGOs, Cooperatives and including
the same in regular curriculum
• Joint Curriculum programs : Internships
and apprenticeships from various
industries and various bodies
• Setting up research labs
Further Roles
• Celebrating Innovation : awards and
distinctions to successful projects
• Central database : making the solution
accessible to all
4. Organization of “Educational Institute’s Innovation Cell (EIIC)”
Setting up of innovation cells at institute level
NiNC
• Central Body
• Source for leveraging funding
• Organizing rational conventions and
conferences
SiNC
• State level Body
• Responsible for maintaining state
database
• Organizing State level conventions
EIIC
• Educational Institute Innovation Cell
set up at institute level
• Consists of 4-5 enthusiasts professors,
representation from each discipline
Further Tasks, Structure and Organization of EIIC :
Course Development
Team
• Discuss and approve
problems jointly with
MSMEs, PSUs and
NGOs
• Design course projects
structures and float for
students
• Identify relevant
personnel from each
stakeholder
Organizing Team
•Brainstorming
sessions especially
for freshmen.
•Conduct seminars ,
talks by practicing
professionals.
•Orientation
sessions for
faculties.
Apprenticeship /
Training Team
• Nodal point for
contacting PSU’s,
industries and leverage
them.
• Internships 3/6/12
months long
• Practical training
before becoming a
professional
Media / Publicity
Team
• Ensure coverage of
everything in leading
newspapers
Infrastructure Team
• Provide lab facilities to
projects and funding
• Developing new
infrastructure
• Helping teams in
taking prototype to
product phase
• Examples : B.E.S.T.
buses tracking /
monitoring system,
Rain water harvesting
systems
5. Working of EIIC
Societal Projects : from Industries to academia
Government
Undertakings
• Like PSUs(BSNL),
Railways, PWDs,
Electricity boards,
Services
• Eg: Redesigning of
Public Transport system
MSMEs
• Local MSME’s get
broken down due to
simple and sheer
engineering troubles.
• Eg: Electric motors
remain unrepaired and
hand pumps broken
NGOs, Cooperatives and
Local bodies
• Their surveys reveal a
lot of problems which
can be addressed.
• Eg: Much water is
carried by little girls on
head, which when
improved will have
great implications
PVT LTDs
• Connect large industries
with students providing
required tool kits to
stay abreast with
engineering community.
• More initiatives like TI-
University Program.
Courses
•Compulsory introductory course for freshmen involving their thinking ability with proper guidance
•Floating of 2-3 societal projects each semester supported by proper funding
•Credit system for courses, certification and ensuring implementation of successful projects
Sessions
•Motivation session for freshmen, sensitizing them and making them aware of Indian needs and
problems
•Sessions for professors for improvement in their deliverance
•Conduct seminars, talks and events on periodic basis by eminent industrial personalities and
researchers
6. Further roles of EIIC
Accentuating the tasks taken up
• National and State level awards and distinctions for successful
projects.
• Conventions and conferences calling out for the active professor
and students and the presentation of their work.
• Coverage of all events and seminars in media, thereby giving the
students and professors a sense of recognition.
Celebrating
Innovation
• EIIC helps in setting up student bodies which aim to increase the
reach of projects and technical activities.
• This body also can take care of proper funding and accountability
of EIIC in the institute.
Student
Bodies
• All projects offered by EIIC’s and their solutions compiled.
• Compiled data sent to respective SInC for maintaining central
database
• Aimed to strengthen national knowledge network
Central
Database
7. Building Industry Academia Interface
•Wide spread apathy towards
applied, interdisciplinary
research and industrial needs
•Lack of proper infrastructure,
R&D labs
•Lower confidence in academia
•Dependent on foreign
technologies
Academia Industries
Need of
Hour
Bridging the
gap
8. Promoting Innovation in India
Establishing new Industries, How ?
• EIIC projects addressing societal issues should be encouraged towards
Entrepreneurship.
• Source of skilled manpower available to industries
Through EIICs
• 51% of manufacturing start-ups are closed before 4 years of operation.
• This can be changed by giving them proper insurance and security policies,
especially for manufacturing start-ups
Entrepreneurship
friendly policies
• Their aim of maximizing revenue is to be addressed, simultaneously encouraging
them to research.
• Strengthening of IPR policies and incentivizing those industries that carry on
research.
Through Existing
Industries
•Incubating those independent researchers like those under Honey bee
network by promoting the commercialization of their products
Through Independent
Researchers
•Coordinating between EIIC and CSIR labs and thereby driving national
research towards translational research.
Setting up
manufacturing Labs
9. Impact of the model
New Innovative India
• Indian industries satisfying Indian demand
• Boosting economy by decreasing import dependency
• Innovation reaching to all levels of society through EIICs people
• Increased applied research
aptitude
• Students empowered,
skillsets enhanced
• Increased social
consciousness
• Many new innovations
centric industries
• Incubation of start ups into
enterprises
• Increased use of indigenous
technology
• Development of
manufacturing industries
Academia Industry
EIIC projects
Skilled manpower
Innovative ideas
Training / apprenticeship
Infrastructure
Entrepreneurial skills
11. Challenges involved and Risk factors
Challenges :
• Institution to institution Non-uniformity
of infrastructure and facilities
• Ensuring Industrial involvement
• Finding enthusiastic professors
Risks :
• Accountability of funds
• Replication of same problem
• Complacency from students
Mitigation factors :
• EIIC is having the same unique and fresh
architecture all over the country
• Liberal policies for participating industries
and special award for academia-industry
research
• Incentives and awards
Mitigation factors :
• A constant vigilance from student
bodies
• Central database
• Brainstorming sessions
12. Appendix
References
• Science, Technology and Innovation Policy 2013, Government of India.
• Engineering R&D at the IITs and its impact on India, appeared in Current Science,
June 2012 – Milind Sohoni.
• Towards An Integrated Model for Academia-Industry Interface in India,Vinay K.
Nangia, Cashmira Pramanik, World Academy of Sciences.
• Innovation in India, National Knowledge Commission, 2007.
• Chapter-7 Innovation Cluster Initiative, Samir Mitra, Office of Advisor to Prime
Minister of India.
• Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.-mospi.nic.in
• www.innovationcouncil.gov.in – National Innovation council