A two-day conclave at the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras saw corporate houses, government officials, industry groups and investment bodies collaborate with the institute on research, entrepreneurship, innovation and technology.
The conclave, held over the past weekend, was part of the ongoing month-long research festival, and aims at bridging the gap between industry and academia. It also offered a platform for the institute’s students and researchers to get a perspective of the industry’s needs besides facilitating collaboration with industries for research projects, social responsibility initiatives and start ups.
Virtual space was dedicated to exhibit research projects, start-ups and projects from the institute’s Centre for Innovation. Kaviraj Nair, chief executive officer of Institutional Advancement, IIT-Madras, said the institute’s core focus is science and technology. “High-impact research leading to social transformation inspires our corporate stakeholders and donors to invest in such projects,” he said. The institute held industry-relevant competition for its students.
Gulshan Rai, chief information officer at the Prime Minister’s office, who participated virtually said, collaborations between academics, industry and government played an important role in resolving the weak infrastructure of digital frameworks. He called for short courses, a dedicated curriculum in cyber security to keep pace with rapid digitisation to resolve the issue of unmanaged infrastructure.
