Chandigarh, 12 October 2023: CII in association with Punjab State Council for Science & Technology & Panjab University organized a “Conference on Industry Focused Research – TEC-2023,” a premier event in Northern India that brought together innovators, thought leaders, and experts to demonstrate and discuss the latest advancements in technology. The conference served as a vital platform for networking, knowledge sharing, and collaboration, with a primary focus on bridging the gap between academia and industry.
Dr P J Singh, Chairman, CII Punjab and CMD, Tynor Orthotics Pvt Ltd, emphasized the pivotal role of industry-academia collaboration, stating, “India can become a superpower, a USD 5 trillion economy, and compete with developed nations only if the industry can harness the knowledge, research, development, and innovation happening in the universities. This conference facilitates the critical interaction between industry professionals and scientists, fostering an environment of mutual understanding and growth.”
Professor Renu Vig, Vice Chancellor, Panjab University, shed light on the role of the Technology Enabling Centre (TEC) in mining more than 300 technologies from various labs of academia. She urged the industry to explore these technologies, stating, “Post this conference, TEC of Panjab University will be making a very focused effort to further promote industry technologies that have been presented today.”
Mr DPS Kharbanda, CEO, Punjab Bureau of Investment Promotion, Government of Punjab, emphasized the importance of collaboration between industry and academia. He said that this industry-academia interaction is just the first step. The main success lies in the actual transfer of technologies to their industry counterparts. Both academia and industry need to come out of the ‘inertia’ state of mind and become open and responsive to each other’s suggestions.
Mr Kharbanda stressed that it is only through the actual transfer of these technologies that industries can create high-impact firms, ultimately leading to increased profits and a boost in the state’s economy. He further emphasized the need for both academia and industry to overcome any inertia in their mindset, encouraging them to adopt a more open and responsive approach to each other’s suggestions.
Dr Anita Aggarwal, Head – Technology Development Transfer, DST, Government of India, highlighted various government schemes supporting the initiative and how they contribute to fostering collaboration between academia and industry. Dr Jatinder Kaur Arora, Executive Director, Punjab State Council for Science & Technology, discussed the pivotal role of PSCST in driving initiatives to bridge the gap between academia and industry.
In the Conference, 60 scientists from 34 Institutes presented 75+ technologies in order to transfer them for commercialization to Industry. These technologies were from diverse sectors like Engineering, Medical devices, Pharmaceuticals, Food-processing, Automation, Materials, Agriculture etc. Through this Conference, the industry got an opportunity to interact with the scientists of their field, a thorough discussion on each technology took place, and if both parties agree then in due course of time, technologies will be transferred from academia to the industry.
The “International Conference on Industry Focused Research – TEC-2023” marked a significant step forward in fostering collaboration, knowledge sharing, and technology transfer between academia and industry. The event showcased the potential for India to emerge as a technological powerhouse through meaningful partnerships and the exchange of innovative ideas.