Technology Development and Innovation: Role of Universities-An Indian Perspective

Rangan BanerjeeDept. of Energy Science and Engineering

IIT Bombay

Keynote address at the International Conference in Technology & Innovation Management, 10 -12 Oct, 2012, Nepal

Role of University

‘institutions that create opportunity not just for individuals, but also for states, regions, nations or industries by virtue of the economic impact of the knowledge and the educated men and women they produce ’

Charles Vest (2007)

Impact of Universities : US

25,800 active companies founded by MIT alumni

annual world sales $2 trillion (11th nation GDP)

MIT alumni 26% sales in state , 1 million jobs

(Robert and Easley, 2009)

Univ of California impact (ICF, 2003) -creating jobs, generating revenues, catalysing and supporting industry clusters, nurturing innovation and entrepreneurs

Goal 1 Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger

Goal 2 Achieve universal primary education

Goal 3 Promote gender equality and empower women

Goal 4 Reduce child mortality

Goal 5 Improve material health

Goal 6 Compact HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases

Goal 7 Ensure environmental sustainability

Goal 8 Develop a global partnership for development

Millenium Development Goals

Source: UN millennium Project, 2005

Technology Development

UN task force- Science Technology and Development (2005) –’to meet the Millenium development goals effectively countries need to recognize the benefits from advances in science and technology and develop strategies to exploit and benefit from new knowledge’

Example : Kigali Institute of Science and Technology –1997- Rwanda - reconstruction

Innovation

‘the deliberate introduction of change to improve performance’ (Go8,2011)

President of India – declared 2010 as the decade of innovation and set up the National Innovation Council

‘thinking differently, creatively and insightfully to create solutions that have an impact in terms of social and economic value’ (Strategy Document, 2011, GOI)

Country Innovation

Capacity Index

Quality of

Scientific

Research

institutions

Company

spending R&D

University –

industry

research

collaboration

Availability of

scientists &

engineers

Govt.

procurement of

advanced

technology

Utility patents

(per million

pop.)

Value Rank Value Rank Value Rank Value Rank Value Rank Value Rank Value Rank

Brazil 3.8 31 4.1 42 3.8 30 4.2 38 3.8 91 3.9 52 0.9 60

China 4.7 15 4.3 38 4.2 23 4.5 29 4.6 33 4.4 16 2 46

India 3.6 35 4.5 34 3.7 33 3.8 50 4.9 21 3.5 78 0.9 59

Japan 5.8 1 5.5 11 5.9 1 5.1 16 5.8 2 4.1 32 352.9 2

Nepal 2.3 129 2.1 137 2.4 127 2.6 129 3.1 130 2.6 133 0.0 90

South

Korea

4.3 20 4.8 25 4.8 11 4.7 25 4.9 23 4.1 31 240.6 5

United

Kingdom

4.8 13 6.1 3 4.7 12 5.8 2 5.1 14 3.9 49 69.5 20

United

States

5.2 7 5.8 7 5.3 6 5.7 3 5.5 4 4.7 9 339.4 3

Leading

Country

Japan Israel Japan Switzerland Finland Qatar Taiwan, China

Global competiveness: Innovation Capacity Innovation Capacity Components Index

Source: WEF, 2012

Frugal Innovations- India

Source: Nesta, 2012

The Arch

IIT Bombay

Vision

To be the fountainhead of new ideas and of

innovation in technology and science

Established year-1958

Main Building

Schematic of interaction between IIT Bombay and Society

Schematic of interaction between IIT Bombay and Society

Student Output of IIT Bombay

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20

11

Tota

l Nu

mb

er

of

Stu

de

nts

Year

Total Degrees Awarded

Post Graduate Degrees

675

356

1115

1846

Internal Changes- Enablers

Responsive, flexible administration

Decentralisation of Decision making

Empowerment of functionaries-Deans, Heads, Principal Investigators

Budget allocations, financial autonomy –spending within limits

Enablers for Research

Online Processes and Online Purchase System

–Quick response, turnaround time

Recruitment, Project accounts, IP management

Central Facilities –maintenance fund, online registration, support for staff –user workshops

Research Infrastructure Fund- transparent internal funding mechanism

Catalysing inter-disciplinary research

Central Facility

Central Surface Analytical Facility (ESCA Lab.)

• PPMS Mini Liquid N2 facility

• Microcompounder and mini injection moulding

• High Performance Computing (HPC) facility

• Dielectric Broadband Spectrometer –

Cryo TEMEllipsometer

Scanning Probe Microscope

Confocal Microscope

Liquid N2 plant

Enhance access

Online user interfaces

Increase utilisation

Specialised Workshops

Centre for Excellence in Nanoelectronics

PowerAnser Laboratory

VLSI Research Consortium

ISRO – IITB Research Cell

National Mission on Education through Information and Technology

Centre for Excellence in Telecom (IITB – Tata Teleservices)

Geospatial Information Science and Engineering Lab

National Solar Thermal Research, Testing and Simulation Facility

Research Centres / Consortia: Examples

National Centre for Photovoltaic Research and Education (NCPRE)

National Centre for Aerospace Innovation and Research (NCAIR)

IGCAR – IITB Research Cell

Climate Change Research Centre

Healthcare Consortium

Proposed Centre of Excellence for Homeland Security

Water Research Initiative

Rural Development

Combustion

Research Centres / Consortia: Examples (Contd.)

Solar Thermal Power Plant

Schematic of 1 MW Solar Power Plant

Thermal Storage

Solar Field

Expansion Vessel

Heat Exchanger

Generator

Condenser

Turbine

PumpPump

Cooling Water Circuit

Water/ Steam Loop

ThermicOil Loop

CLFR Direct Steam

IITB-Solar Thermal Power Plant

Solar Fields under construction Foundation stone 10 January, 2010

PTC Field

Steam GenerationLFR Field

Heat Exchanger Turbine

Solar Thermal Power Plant

Schematic of the Solar Power Consortium

Solar Thermal Power Plant Simulator

Incentives- Awards

Research Excellence Awards:•Prof. S.C. Bhattacharya Excellence Award in Pure Sciences •Prof. H.H. Mathur Excellence Award in Applied Sciences

IRCC Awards:•IIT Bombay Research Paper award•IIT Bombay Review Paper award•IIT Bombay Young Investigator award•IIT Bombay Industrial Impact Award

Dr. P.K. Patwardhan Technology Development Award

Dr. P. K. Patwardhan Award

Dr. P. K. Patwardhan Award

Dr. P. K. Patwardhan Award

Dr. P. K. Patwardhan Award

IP/ Licensing

Liberal explicit revenue sharing 70:30 Inventors, Institute, Explicit IP policy

Institute bears IP protection cost

Panel of attorneys,Simplified processes- online

Pro-active – abstract search Masters thesis, pre-publication drafts

Licensing web site, advertisement, brochures

SINE- Technology Business Incubator

Trend of Patent filing at IIT Bombay

46

1

6

10

14

9

16

11 1210

1416

46

66

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

No

. o

f In

dia

n P

ate

nt

Ap

plicati

on

s F

iled

Year

Indian Patent Applications (1.1.97 to 31.12.11) : 241

Foreign patent applications : 64(US, Europe, Japan, Canada, Taiwan, Brazil, Gulf)

PCT applications : 56

Patents granted (lndian+ Foreign) : 69+3

IRCC Home > Technologies for Licensing > Advertisement

Ready access to technologies at IITB

Attracting students to research

Enthuse – first year students

Support student Technology development initiatives

Encourage learning by doing

Alumni funded labs – Umasruwala Innovation Centre, Wadhwani Electronics Lab

Student Technical Activities Body – lectures, workshops, projects, competitions, tech clubs

Students Initiative at IIT Bombay

SINE Companies-Products

Unmanned aerial system-NETRA

IdeaForge

Railway berth LED

Jugnoo Solar Home Light

Ctech Labs Pvt. Ltd.

GRAM++

Bhugol GIS Pvt. Ltd.

Aqua Crop Project

Agrocom (AAQUA)

Developing country universities-Challenges

Attracting quality students, faculty

Competing on global rankings – attracting international students, faculty

Changing the perception and the reality-building industry confidence

Negotiating fair deals for IP with industry

Fair two way international partnerships

Decide research thrust areas

Responsiveness to local needs

Shaping the innovation agenda

What is innovation for?

Who is innovation for?

Importance of Direction, Distribution and Diversity of innovation agenda (STEPS, 2010)

University - Catalytic role in supporting and building local and regional technology development and innovation ecosystems

End- Note

‘A university stands for humanism, for tolerance, for

progress, for adventure of ideas and for the search of

truth. It stands for the onward march of the human

race towards ever higher objectives. If the universities

discharge their duty adequately, then it is well with the

nation and the people’

Jawaharlal Nehru, First Prime Minister of India

Thank You

Email: rangan@iitb.ac.in

References

Charles M. Vest, The American Research University from World War II to World Wide Web, University of California Press, Berkeley, 2007.

Philip G. Altbach: The Past, Present and Future of the Research University, in the Road to Academic Excellence, The making of world class Research Universities, World Bank, 2011, Washington D.C.

E.B. Roberts and C. Easley: Entrepreneurial Impact: The Role of MIT, February, 2009, Kaufmann Foundation,The Foundation of Entrepreneurship.

UN Millenium Project, 2005: Innovation: Applying Knowledge in Development. Task Force on Science, Technology and Innovation, UNDP, Earthscan, London.

KIST 2012: http://www.kist.ac.rw (last accessed on October 5, 2012).

ICF, 2003: ICF Consulting: California’s Future: It starts Here UC’s contributions to Economic Growth, Health and Culture, March 2003.

Go8, 2011: Role of Universities in the national innovation system, Discussion Paper, February 2011, The Group of Eight. www.go8.edu.au/university-staff/go8-policy-_and_-analysis/2011/role-of-universities-in-the-national-innovation-system (last accessed on October 5, 2012)

GOI, 2011: Creating a Roadmap for a Decade of Innovation Strategy Paper, March 2011, Office of Adviser to the Prime Minister, Public Information Infrastructure and Innovations, Government of India, New Delhi.

Global Competitiveness Report, World Economic Forum 2011-2012.

NESTA, 2012: Our Frugal Future: lessons from India’s Innovation System – K. Bound and I. Thornton, July 2012, London UK. Available online at: www.nesta.org.uk

Banerjee, R. and Muley, Vinayak P.: Engineering Education in India. New Delhi: Macmillan Publishers India Limited, 2009.

Directors Report IIT Bombay: Fiftieth Convocation. 18th August 2012. http://www.iitb.ac.in/Convo2012/conv.pdf (last accessed on October 8, 2012)

SINE: Society for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, IIT Bombay, www.sineiitb.org (last accessed on October 8, 2012)

Students' Technical Activities Body (STAB) of IIT Bombay, IIT Bombay, http://www.stab-iitb.org (last accessed on October 8, 2012)

Industrial Research & Consultancy Centre (IRCC), IIT Bombay – R&D Publications, http://www.ircc.iitb.ac.in/IRCC-Webpage/rnd/Publication.jsp (last accessed on October 8, 2012).

National Innovation Day Workshop, 2012: A one-day brainstorming workshop for Vice-Chancellors & Directors was organised by MHRD, UGC and IIT Bombay on March 1, 2012. http://www.ircc.iitb.ac.in/IRCC-Webpage/InnovationDayWorkshop/index.html (last accessed on October 8, 2012).

STEPS: Innovation, Sustainability, Development: A new Manifesto; Brighton, UK STEPS Centre, 2010.

Manchanda, 2008: 50 years of IIT-Bombay: IIT Bombay, Mumbai, 2008.