Amity Science Technology and Innovation Foundation (ASTIF), Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Noida Campus, in collaboration with Institution’s Innovation Council (IIC), under Ministry of Education’s Innovation Cell, organized “Innovation Week-2022”, to commemorate the Birth Anniversary of India’s “Missile Man” and former President (Late) Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam.
Speaking on “Funding Opportunity in thrust areas of Research”, Dr. Rajeev Kumar Mehajan, Scientist "G" & Advisor, Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), Ministry of Science and Technology, averred, “The vision of SERB is to position Science and Technology as the fulcrum for social and economic change by supporting relevant, competitive and quality scientific research and development. As the premiere Research & Development agency, SERB raises the quality and footprint of Indian science and engineering to the highest global levels in an accelerated mode through calibrated support for research and development.”
Expressing extreme delight on this occasion, Dr. Ashok K. Chauhan, Founder President, Amity Education Group, stated, “Amity has always believed in producing the best scientist and researchers by laying great emphasis on research and innovation. Amity is committed towards the scientific and economic development of the country and new technologies are constantly being developed by the researchers at Amity. Students are the future leaders of tomorrow who will contribute to nation-building through innovation and creativity which can bring a huge transformation in the society and the world at large.”
Dr. Sanjay Kumar Mishra, Scientist “H”, Department of Biotechnology (DBT), said, “It is very heartening to see that research and innovation is the thrust area at Amity as the future lies in critical thinking, problem solving and finding innovative solutions. It is remarkable that so many patents have been filed by Amity, however, the patents should go to the markets and the fruits of innovation in science & technology need to be delivered to the society, knowledge must be utilized, and the society must benefit from it.”
Highlighting the role of DRDO in Research and Innovation, Dr. Shiv Kumar, Director, Extranural Research and Intellectual Property Rights (ER&IPR), DRDO, asserted, “DRDO’s collaboration with Academia is aimed to harness new S&T concepts and innovation through ER grants and apply the new S&T knowledge in DRDO products and systems to leverage DRDO’s efforts by developing futuristic technologies. The organization also directs and exposes academia to DRDO’s technologies for growth of the Defence Sector which is one of the most important sectors in the country. It is through such efforts that DRDO is contributing significantly to the research and innovation being carried out in the country.”
Speaking about the function of Department of Science & Technology (DST), Shri Praveen Roy, Scientist “F”, Department of Science and Technology (DST), said, “DST receives Government Funding and has introduced several programmes for applied research in academic set-ups. DST encourages start-ups and supports them through funding and other government aids. In order to establish and strengthen the research work, DST is also encouraging start-ups through incubators, running certain schemes and providing grants for their establishment. The idea is to invoke the innovative temperament in the future scientists and prepare them for future challenges.”
Addressing the gathering, Prof. (Dr.) Balvinder Shukla, Vice Chancellor, Amity University Uttar Pradesh, said, “Research and innovation has been the major focus area at Amity since its inception and it is only through Research and innovation that our nation can become developed in all spheres. It is the vision of our hon’ble Prime Minister to make India self-reliant or “Aatm Nirbhar” which is possible by making remarkable progress in this field. Through Amity Innovation Incubator, it is already providing its students a great opportunity to set up start-ups and become independent entrepreneurs.”
Deliberating upon “Creating a Technology Footprint in India”, Dr. M.H. Rahaman, Director, Joint Advanced Technology Centre (JATC), IIT-Delhi, emphasised, “New technologies have been developed in the last few years and many more are in the process such as “Bionic Eyes”, “Airport for Flying Taxis”, and “Sweat Powdered Smart Watches”. On the academic side, there is a need for creation of Center of Excellence and industrial collaboration by utilizing Government Policy to attract industry for prototype development. International collaborations must be strengthened by making policies through proper mechanism and implementing those policies for the benefit of the society.”
Speaking about “Initiatives of PSA office towards Sustainable Development Goals”, Dr. Ketaki Bapat, Adviser/Scientist 'G’, Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Govt. of India, New Delhi, said, “Report Policies and Action Plan for a Secure and Sustainable Agriculture were released in the year 2019, which included many policies for innovation in the field of Agriculture. The policies aim to make Indian farmers more self-reliant and for this purpose Rural Technology Action Group (RuTAG) aids in the development of innovative technologies for the identified demands of the rural areas, through RuTAG centres supported by seven IITs.”
Emphasising on the significance of the Programme, Dr. W. Selvamurthy, President, Amity Science Technology and Innovation Foundation (ASTIF) said, “India stands at the 40th position in the Global Innovation Index (GII)- 2022, currently and it is the dream of our honourable Founder President, Dr. Ashok K. Chauhan to bring it to the 25th position by 2030. Amity is a leading research and innovation driven University, where more than 400 research projects are ongoing, 11790 patents have been filed, more than 30,000 research papers have been published and 21 technologies have been transferred, which is a testimony to Amity’s grand vision of transforming the world through innovative solutions and technologies.”
The Programme concluded with the felicitation of Guests and an interactive Q&A Session, where students and researchers of Amity asked questions from the esteemed panellists.