CHITKARA UNIVERSITY ORGANIZED THE BIGGEST INDUSTRY-ACADEMIA CONCLAVE IN THE REGION TO PROMOTE COLLABORATIONS FOR THE JOINT DEVELOPMENT OF TECHNOLOGIES
(MARCH 4TH, 2023)
Chitkara University has a Technology Enabling Centre (CU-TEC) that was set-up by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Ministry of Science & Technology, Government of India in the year 2019. CU-TEC is working toward industry-academia collaborations in the region for joint development of technologies, commercialization of academic research projects by industries, and providing solutions to specific technical problems of the industries. In this event, a large number of regional industries as well as academic institutions came together with just one objective in mind, i.e. to jointly develop technologies which can be commercialized.
Video Summary of the Industry-Academia Conclave
Dr. Krishna Kant Pulicherla - Scientist, TDT Division, DST, New Delhi, who is responsible for the smooth and efficient functioning of Technology Enabling Centres (TECs) set-up by the DST across India, participated in this conclave. During his address, he gave insights into various funding schemes wherein industry-academia partnerships are preferred, and industry contributions are greatly valued while evaluating the funding proposals. Director of MSME Development Institute, Ludhiana - Mr. Virinder Sharma stressed upon the need for industry-academia collaborations in solving various real-world problems faced by the MSME industries. Mr. J. S. Sandhu - President, Patiala Chamber of Industries and Owner, Champion Engineering Industries also mentioned that the MSME industries have a lot of areas wherein they can collaborate with academia to jointly develop solutions for a variety of problems.
The conclave was attended by over 120 delegates from industry and academia combined. More than 25 regional industries participated with a large chunk of participation coming in from four industry associations including Patiala Chamber of Industries, Sangrur District Industrial Chamber - Block Sangrur, Ambala Scientific Instruments Manufacturing Association, and Panchkula Chamber of Commerce and Industries. Similarly, a large number of academic and research institutions of the region including CSIO-CSIR Chandigarh, NIT Jalandhar, PTU, GNA University, Desh Bhagat University, CT University, Gulzar Group of Institutes, Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College, Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Engineering College, Sri Guru Granth Sahib World University, Punjabi University, etc. also participated.
Representatives of the industries shared different problem statements for which they were ready to collaborate with academia for finding and building solutions. There were a total of 13 presentations from different industries on topics ranging from corrosion issues in boilers and heat exchangers, battery management systems, improving shelf life of gluten free bakery, cost effective DC motors for gym equipment, etc.
Representatives from academia discussed their technologies, which they wanted to commercialize with support from industry. There were 18 presentations in this segment, 9 were from Chitkara University and 9 were from other academic institutions. Notably, Chitkara University has developed and commercialized many technologies, and more than 25 technologies developed by Chitkara University are currently ready for commercialization.
The conclave also witnessed a panel discussion on the topic ‘Industry-Academia Collaborations for Joint Development of Technologies - Need, Opportunities and Challenges’ and the panelists were Mr. J. S. Sandhu (President, Patiala Chamber of Industries), Mr. Virinder Sharma (Director, IEDS, MSME Development Institute, Ludhiana) and Dr. Amit Mittal (Pro-VC, Research Programs, Chitkara University, Punjab).
Another highlight of the conclave was the unveiling of NOVATE+ 2023, the 5th edition of the annual hackathon of Chitkara University, which is going to support 10 industry-academia joint projects with funding of INR 250,000 each for the development of prototypes. Dr. Amit Mittal gave a detailed overview of NOVATE+ to the delegates after the unveiling and highlighted the impact NOVATE+ has created in the last few years.
This industry-academia conclave was convened by Mr. Sagar Juneja – Assistant Dean (Research), Chitkara University, Punjab and the Coordinator, CU-TEC. During his welcome address, he shared with the delegates how the Chitkara University ecosystem offers diverse collaboration opportunities for industries in working on cutting-edge research problems, IPR awareness and protection, incubation support to start-ups and handholding them through GoI-sponsored schemes, by offering NABL-accredited trust-worthy testing facility, focused program on supporting industries in getting DSIR certification and offering consultancy in different competencies including Engineering, Management, Pharmacy, Mass Communication, Architecture and so on.
