Union Minister for Education and Skill Development and Patron-in-Chief of IInvenTiv Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, inaugurated IInvenTiv – the first-ever all-IITs R&D Showcase at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. The two-day event that would conclude on October 15th brings academia and industry under one roof to showcase India’s global R&D strength. A brochure for IInvenTiv was also launched by the Minister, followed by a visit to the exhibition booths.
Present in the inaugural session was Dr. Subhasis Chaudhuri, Director IIT Bombay, and Convener, Steering Committee IInvenTiv; Mr Sunil Bharti Mittal, Founder and Chairperson Bharti Enterprises, as the Guest of Honour; Dr. Pawan Goenka, Chairman, Steering Committee IInvenTiv; Dr. BVR Mohan Reddy, Co-Chairman, Steering Committee IInvenTiv.
Speaking on the occasion Hon Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said that IITs are no more just Indian Institutes of Technology, but today, they have become Instruments of Transformation. IITs are the repositories of knowledge & experience and bridge to the future, he added.
The Minister said that our IITs have to move beyond being just engineering colleges. We have to stop benchmarking IITs on the basis of placement packages. IITs should redefine parameters and benchmark on the number of innovations brought in the market, innovations monetised, and number of job creators created. He also said that technology will drive the next phase of growth and development with IT and communications technology among the front runners. The world today will invest more vigorously on India. India’s talent, digital-first attitude, market size, emerging purchasing power and growing aspirations is a heady mix to take India forward at an unprecedented speed and scale. Our IITs should seize this opportunity, he added.
“IInvenTiv to emerge as a key forum which will provide solutions to complex global problems.”
Shri Pradhan stated that in the AmritKaal, the anusandhan-led Bharat would be propelled by innovations at the grass roots level and it would seek the participation of all, especially the rural sector. IInvenTiv shall be the start of such a revolution and emerge as a key forum which will provide solutions to complex global problems.
The R&D Fair is being organized in commemoration of the 75th year of India’s Independence in line with the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav initiative. It has brought over 300 representatives from industry, including startups, along with government, and embassy officials, and global IIT-alumni. Apart from that, an overall footfall of around 1500 attendees is expected throughout the event, which includes faculty, students, and research scholars from various institutions, among others.
A total of 75 projects by the 23 IITs are being exhibited to mark the 75th year of India’s Independence
There are 75 projects and 6 Showcase projects on diverse themes such as, Defence and aerospace, Healthcare (including devices and digital health), Environment and Sustainability (including air, water, rivers), Clean Energy & Renewables (including Hydrogen and EV), Manufacturing (including smart, advanced and industry 4.0), AI/ML/Blockchain technologies (including quantum computing), Smart Cities & Infrastructure (including smart mobility), Communication Technologies (including education and 5G), Robotics, Sensors & Actuators, and Semiconductors, Flexible electronics & Nanotechnology, being exhibited at the event. The projects are aligned with the vision of Make in India, Digital India, and Atmanirbhar Bharat, and are aimed at impacting the lives of all sections of society.
The two-day event would host representatives from Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) and National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM), along with students, global IIT alumni, faculties of various CFTIs, scientists from DRDO, ISRO, CSIR and ICAR, and so on.