23 IITs to come together to mount R&D Fair

The most up-to-date research on disciplines as diverse as drone technology, speech-to-speech translation, 5G Core, climate change, affordable healthcare devices and the electric vehicle (EV) sector, among others, are going to be the big showcase projects as part of a major R&D fair being put together by 23 IITs.

For the first time, all the 23 IITs of the country will come together for the mega Research & Development Fair to be held from October 14 to 15 at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. Called IInvenTiv, it will be inaugurated by Union Minister for Education and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Dharmendra Pradhan. The event is aimed at creating awareness around the research and innovation work being done by the IITs. It will also seek collaborative avenues among state universities and institutes, industry, and the IITs.

The event would also host administrators and students from institutions from smaller towns for them to have a closer glimpse of the R&D ecosystem of IITs, apart from hosting IIT alumni, faculties of various CFTIs, and scientists from DRDO, ISRO, CSIR and ICAR. A total of 75 projects are selected for the event, along with six showcase projects from IIT Kanpur, IIT Bombay, IIT Madras, IIT Delhi, IIT Kharagpur and IIT Hyderabad. The selected projects will be presented before the audience in designated booths during the two-day event. Representatives from Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) and National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM), will also be present at the event.

"IITs have been working relentlessly for the past decades towards enriching the research and development pool of the country. Right from making breakthrough discoveries to developing grassroots innovations, IITs have stood the test of time in supporting the nation for holistic growth," said Prof. B. S. Murty, director, IIT Hyderabad. "This R&D Fair is envisioned to enhance the public perception of the IIT ecosystem and to look for potential collaborative avenues among key stakeholders.”

The ten broad themes identified in focused areas for the event include defence and aerospace, healthcare (including devices and digital health), environment and sustainability (including air, water, rivers), clean energy and renewables (including Hydrogen and EV), manufacturing (including smart, advanced and industry 4.0), AI/ML/blockchain technologies (including quantum computing), smart cities and infrastructure (including smart mobility), communication technologies (including education and 5G), robotics, sensors and actuator, semiconductors, flexible electronics and nanotechnology.