The Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi held its first Industry Day to encourage collaboration between industries and the academia.
AIM OF THE EVENT
The event is expected to bring together experts from the industry to discuss some prime issues concerning the relationship between industry and academia based on current societal requirement in the fields of defence, environment, affordable healthcare, smart cities and energy. Here industry leaders apprised the faculty of their needs and expectations from the premier technology institute.
THE EMINENT SPEAKERS
At least 25 industry leaders including former Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) Chief and current NITI Aayog member V.K. Saraswat and Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman of the Birla group spoke at the event.
The chief guest, NITI Aayog member V K Saraswat, said there was a gap between the industry and the academia. “The capabilities of the industry are not known to academics… The academics don’t know what the industry wants. I think it should be mandatory for a professor, whose career span is 30-35 years, to spend 4-5 years in the industry and get the picture on how it is performing, what are its needs, etc, and bring back valuable information to students,” he said.
THE EVENTS
Discussions on defence, affordable healthcare, environment and smart cities were held at the event. The academics and student researchers also displayed their inventions and projects, which are “available for transfer” at the industry-academia rendezvous.
The event saw projects, ongoing and finished, based on five themes — defence, environment, affordable healthcare, smart cities and energy.
Some of the projects which were scheduled to be displayed or briefed about at the event include bio-artificial skin substitute for second degree burn injuries and mini-buses fitted with a modulated internal combustion engine conducive for using bio-fuel such as hydrogen, methanol, ethanol — causing almost zero emission.
