IIT Gandhinagar to invest Rs 100 crore to have 50 corporate R&D centres

The Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar is working on a research park that will have 50 commercial research and development (R&D) centres at an expense of Rs 100 crore. A major part of this amount will be assigned to micro and small and medium enterprises sector considering their growth forecasts and job creation abilities. The institute has been granted Rs 90 crore from the department of science and technology (DST). The research park is one of the largest among new national institutions, which is being crafted in an area of 2,00,000 square feet. Apart from this, remaining funding will be done by the institution itself. They have already brought nine R&D facilities inclusive of social enterprises, industries, and government-led organisations.

Once the facility is good to go, IIT Gandhinagar shall house 50 R&D facilities in the upcoming four months. Ten R&D centres will be of big corporates and government departments, however, 20-25 are likely to be from the MSME sector and the remaining will be startups. Central Public Works Department (CPWD) is one of the nine latest organisations that have already come on board. This will work on research on sustainable construction design and energy efficiency in the civil engineering domain. Moreover, Nasscom has signed and an agreement for centre of excellence in the Internet of Things. Apart from this, Gujarat Urja R&D cell will work on future-ready technology in the power domain, consisting of renewable energy, electricity automation and innovation in energy storage.

The IIT believes that just like medical colleges, a research park will help its students and faculty work on solving corporate problems and improve their industry worthiness. The corporate R&D centres will benefit from the knowhow and talent of professors and the willingness of students to produce marketable products and services.

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