New Delhi: The third edition of IIT Delhi’s Industry Day showcased innovative items that would give the best in the industry a run for their money.
The innovative exhibits comprised lighter bulletproof jackets to ‘plant-based’ scrambled eggs, water-activated powerless heating system and bioabsorbable cardiac stent, all developed by researchers at IIT Delhi.
While people queued up to grab a bite of ‘plant-based’ eggs made by using lentils, which provides an alternative to non-vegetarian food without compromising on taste, another team gave a demo of the bio-absorbable cardiac stents, which unlike metal stents that are being currently used to treat artery blockages, dissolve inside the body within five years, reported India Today.
A bulletproof jacket for Indian soldiers, which would be 30 per cent lighter than the jackets being used now, was also a hit among visitors who turned it into a selfie prop.
The inaugural session event on Saturday was attended by business leaders, the research community, delegates from Finland and Japan and Indian Institute of Delhi fraternity, including alumni who acknowledged the need to accelerate investment in the innovation-led economy to boost growth and develop a competitive advantage for India in the global market.
There were interactive sessions between industry experts and researchers, giving the students chance to convert their innovative ideas into industry-ready products.
Addressing the inaugural session, the chief guest VK Paul, Member NITI Aayog, said: “India’s progress is crucially dependent on the science we discover and understand, on technologies we can create and manufacture, and on products our people can use and access.” He gave an example of the medical devices market which is currently worth $7-8 billion in India. “As much as 75% of this demand is met by imports. However, considering the talent and potential India has, this market can be worth $50 billion in India; and only innovation can achieve that, “he said.
A placement session was organised exclusively for the institute’s PhD students – 17 companies interviewed more than 70 students.
V Ramgopal Rao, Director of IIT-Delhi, called upon the industry to collaborate with the academia. He said that IIT-Delhi was not only looking for collaborations with the industry, but also wanted to treat them as a part of the innovation ecosystem. He said that soon there would be more diploma and certificate programmes for the industry that could be pursued online from IIT-Delhi. “This will open up opportunities for private companies to collaborate with the research community.”
Director Rao thanked the government for expanding the scope of corporate spending under the CSR norms, “which will boost research funding in institutions like IIT-Delhi and promote collaborations between the academia and the industry.”
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