Lok Sabha Question No. 399 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-12-12
Subject: Strengthening of Academics and Industry Interface in Science
Ministry: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: RAJEEV SHANKARRAO SATAV, VIJAYSINH MOHITE PATIL, DHANANJAY BHIMRAO MAHADIK, SUPRIYA SADANAND SULE, P.R. SUNDARAM, JAYAKUMAR JAYAVARDHAN, HEENA VIJAYKUMAR GAVIT

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT OF SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 399

(TO BE ANSWERED ON 12.12.2018)

## STRENGTHENING OF ACADEMICS AND INDUSTRY INTERFACE IN SCIENCE

## 399. SHRI SATAV RAJEEV:

SHRI MOHITE PATIL VIJAYSINH SHANKARRAO:

SHRI DHANANJAY MAHADIK:

SHRIMATI SUPRIYA SULE:

SHRI P.R. SUNDARAM:

DR. J. JAYAVARDHAN:

DR. HEENA VIJAYKUMAR GAVIT:

## Will the Minister of SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  any  action  plan  has  been  formulated  by  the  Government  to strengthen the academics and industry interface in science and if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (b) whether several large scale science projects are being undertaken at various national institutes by the Government and private sector;
- (c) if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether the Government is considering to augment investment in this field and if so, the details of estimated investment likely to be made during this year and the coming years; and
- (e) the steps taken by the Government to strengthen the academics and industry interface in science?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND EARTH SCIENCES (Dr Harsh Vardhan)

- (a) Government  has  undertaken  several  programmes  /  schemes  under various departments to strengthen the academics and industry interface in science. The programmes of some of the key government departments/institutions which engage Universities/IITs, R&D institutions and industry are listed below:

|   No. | Department /Organisation                                                                                                 | Scheme / Programme                                                                                                                                                                                     |
|-------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|     1 | Department of Scientific & Industrial Research and Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (autonomous body of DSIR) |  DSIR's Patent Acquisition and Collaborative Research and Technology Development (PACE) programme under which collaborative proposals of industry and academia / research institutions for technology |

|    |                                        | development and demonstration are supported.  CSIR's New Millennium Indian Technology Leadership Initiative (NMITLI) under which support in the form of grant-in-aid to publicly funded institutions and soft loan to industry is provided to carry out well focused R&D projects in Public-Private- Partnership (PPP) mode. CSIR-NMITLI has been able to network around 110 industry partners and 320 R&D Groups in public institutions since its inception.                                                                                  |
|----|----------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|  2 | Niti Aayog                             | Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) including Self-Employment and Talent Utilization (SETU) promotes a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship. The Atal Innovation Mission has two core functions, viz. 'Entrepreneurship promotion' through Self-Employment and Talent Utilization, wherein innovators are supported and mentored to become successful entrepreneurs and 'Innovation promotion' wherein innovative ideas are generated through support to Atal Tinkering Labs, Atal Incubation Centers and scaling up of Established Incubators. |
|  3 | Ministry of Human Resource Development | Uchhatar Avishkar Yojana (UAY) promotes industry sponsored, outcome- oriented research projects. The objectives of UAY scheme are to promote innovation in IITs addressing issues of manufacturing industries to spur innovative mindset and to co- ordinate action between academia & industry to strengthen research facilities.                                                                                                                                                                                                              |
|  4 | Department of Science & Technology     |  Drugs & Pharmaceuticals Research Programme - industry institution program for drug development.  SERB has a 'Scheme for Industry Relevant R&D'. This scheme provides                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         |

|    |                                    | an opportunity for collaborative research between academic institutions and industry with an aim to bridge the gap between public funded research and industrial R&D.  IMPacting Research INnovation and Technology (IMPRINT) is an initiative to address major engineering challenges to enable, empower and embolden the nation for inclusive growth and self-reliance. Department of Science and Technology is partnering with Ministry of Human Resource Development in implementing this program.   |
|----|------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|  5 | Department of Biotechnology        |  Biotechnology Industry Partnership Programme (BIPP)  Small Business Innovation Research Initiative (SBIRI)  PACE (Promoting Academic Research Conversion to Enterprise) to encourage/support academia to develop technology/product (up to PoC stage) of societal/ national importance and its subsequent validation by an industrial partner.                                                                                                                                                        |
|  6 | Indian Space Research Organisation | RESPOND (Sponsored Research and Development Programme in the area of space technology) - RESPOND programme is mutually beneficial to ISRO and Academia, wherein the rich talent of Academia/ faculty is being harnessed to support the Nation's Space programme.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          |
|  7 | Ministry of Finance                |  Under section 35(2AA) of IT Act, corporate industries are eligible to claim 175% tax deduction for sponsored scientific research projects in national laboratories, universities and IITs                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               |

(b)&(c)  Several  Large  Scale  Science  Projects  are  being  undertaken  at several national institutes and R&D organizations with the support of government departments. These include:

## Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR)

Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), autonomous body of  DSIR  has  launched  several  Mission  Mode  Projects  (MMPs)  for concerted  and  sustained  efforts  in  an  identified  area  by  synergizing the best competencies available in various CSIR Laboratories. These include  Sickle  Cell  Anaemia  (SCA)  Mission,  Catalysis  for  Sustainable Development (CSD) Mission, INPROTICS-Pharma & Agro, Aroma Mission and Phytopharmaceuticals Mission.

## Department of Science and Technology

-  India is participating in the construction of Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT)  in  USA.  In  this  project,  India's  in-kind  contributions  include Hardware (Segment Support Assemblies, Actuators, Edge Sensors, Segment  Polishing  and  Segment  Coating),  Instrumentation  (First Light Instruments) and Software (Observatory Software and Telescope Control Systems).
-  JNCASR,  Bengaluru  is  working  in  the  area  of  -  Application  of Surface  Enhanced  Raman  Scattering  (SERS)  for  non-PCR  based RNA/DNA detection of HIV, Development of diagnostic probe/agents for  Alzheimer's  disease  (in-cellulo  studies),  Materials  and  devices for  'Waste  heat  to  electrical  energy'  conversion,  Diagnostics  for Candida species detection in clinical samples, Solution processed solar  cell  -  development,  performance  monitoring  and  prototypes, Renewable energy, Organic phosphorescent materials, and Organic porous  materials  for  hydrogen  storage  and  catalytic  hydrogen generation  and  adsorptive  based  separations  (separation  of  C8 isomers, and C2H2 from C2H4).

## Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)

-  Programme on Advanced Materials at Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore;
-  Transdisciplinary shock wave research and applications programme at Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore; and
-  DRDO  has also established Centres of Excellence at Indian Statistical  Institute  (ISI),  Kolkata  for  Cryptology,  University  of Hyderabad for High Energy Materials, Defence Institute of Advanced Technology (DIAT), Pune for Nanotechnology and Indian Institute of Technology  Madras  for  Research  &  Innovation  to  undertake  large scale science projects.

## Department of Atomic Energy (DAE)

-  Indus Synchrotons at Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology, Indore;

-  Variable Energy Cyclotron, Super Conducting Cyclotron and Radioactive Ion Beam at Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre, Kolkata;
-  Low Energy High  Intensity  Proton  Accelerator  and  Electron  Beam Centre at Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai;
- (d) Yes, the Government is considering to augment investment to strengthen the academics and industry interface in science during this year and in the coming years. For example, a budget of Rs. 3552.27 crore has been estimated for continuation of Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) which includes Rs. 2088.22 crore till 2019-20 and the balance of Rs.1464.05 crore as committed spillover/ liabilities during 2020-2024; a budget  of  Rs.  3600  crore  has  been  estimated  for  launching  the National  Mission  on  Interdisciplinary  Cyber-Physical  Systems  during the  next  five  years;  and  a  budget  of  Rs.  347.73  crore  has  been allocated for the five CSIR Missions as stated above.
- (e) The steps taken by the Government  to further strengthen the academics and industry interface in science include:

The Union Cabinet on 7 th  December, 2018 has approved the launching of National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems to be implemented by the Department of Science and Technology. The NMICPS  is  a  comprehensive  mission  which  would  address  technology development, application development, human resource development, skill enhancement, entrepreneurship and start-up development in CPS and associated technologies. The mission aims at establishment of 15 numbers  of  Technology  Innovation  Hubs,  six  numbers  of  Application Innovation Hubs and four numbers of Technology Translation Research Parks  (TTRP).  These  hubs  and  TTRPs  will  connect  to  academics, industry, central ministries and state government  in developing solutions  at  reputed  academic,  R&D  and  other  organisations  across the  country  in  a  hub  and  spoke  model;  and  Ministry  of  Human Resource  Development  (MHRD)  has  established  'MHRD's  Innovation Cell (MIC)' to systematically foster the culture of Innovation amongst all Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). MIC has envisioned creation of 'Institution's Innovation Council (IICs)' across selected HEIs. Function of  Institution's  Innovation  Council  is  to  promote  innovation  in  the Institution  through  multitudinous  modes  leading  to  an  innovation promotion eco-system in the campus, including networking with peers and national entrepreneurship development organizations and organizing  Hackathons,  idea  competition,  mini-challenges  etc.  with the involvement of industries.

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