For the first time, all the 23 IITs of the country will come together for a mega Research & Development Fair to be held from October 14-15, 2022 at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi premises. The inaugural session will be graced by Minister for Education and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Dharmendra Pradhan. A Steering Committee headed by Dr. Pawan Goenka, Chairman, BoG IIT Madras, and Dr. BVR Mohan Reddy, Chairman, BoG IIT Hyderabad, and IIT Roorkee; has been assigned to look after the event. Named IInvenTiv, the event is aimed at creating holistic awareness around the research and innovation work being done by the IITs and seeking collaborative avenues among state universities and institutes, industry, and the IITs for better development and reach of the innovations at the grassroots level.

The R&D Fair is being organized in commemoration of the 75th year of India’s Independence in line with the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav initiative. It will showcase projects on diverse areas covering climate change, sustainability, smart city architecture, rural agriculture, affordable healthcare, drone technology, and so on. The objective is to promote innovations in line with the Make in India, and Digital India initiatives, and seek solutions for better reach and scalability of innovations that benefit the masses across regions.

The event would also host administrators and students from institutions from tier 2 and tier 3 cities for them to have a closer glimpse of the R&D ecosystem of IITs and in turn inculcate a similar innovation-driven outlook toward developing projects of national interest. It would facilitate a comprehensive understanding of the requirements at the grassroots level in key areas such as agriculture, rural development, sanitation, resource management, etc., and would engage them to develop innovations that make a positive impact on a larger section of society. 

Commenting on the prospect of the event, Dr. Pawan Goenka, Chairman, BoG IIT Madras commented, “As India is taking strides to scale new heights in research & innovations, the IITs are at the forefront supporting the nation in attaining self-reliance across sectors. IInvenTiv aims to bring focus to key innovations from all the 23 IITs so that awareness regarding R&D at the IITs increases. This would help develop more affordable technologies for the benefit of all. We are expecting active participation from industry, academic, and R&D institutions, as well as government, to seek more collaborative and multidisciplinary avenues for furthering the vision of ”Make in India” and Atmanirbhar Bharat.”

Dr. BVR Mohan Reddy, Chairman, BoG IIT Hyderabad, and IIT Roorkee said, ‘’The IITs have been consistently contributing towards nation-building. In today’s time, when multi-disciplinary research leading to cutting edge innovations is taking center stage, it is important that the research and development done at the IITs is exhibited and presented to the industry and policymakers for meaningful outcomes that benefit society.  With this Fair, we bring the key stakeholders from industry, government institutions, and academia closer to collaborate on building an Atma Nirbhar Bharat. The Fair provides an opportunity to learn, exchange ideas and innovate for accelerating the country’s progress in the ‘Amrit Kaal.”

Prof. B. S. Murty, Director, IIT Hyderabad, said, “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. 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.”

There are ten broad themes identified in focused areas for the event:

• Defence and aerospace
• Healthcare (including devices and digital health)
• Environment and Sustainability (including air, water, rivers)
• Clean Energy & Renewables (including Hydrogen and EV)
• Manufacturing (including smart, advanced and industry 4.0)
• AI/ML/Blockchain technologies (including quantum computing)
• Smart Cities & Infrastructure (including smart mobility)
• Communication Technologies (including education and 5G)
• Robotics, Sensors & Actuators
• Semiconductors, Flexible electronics & Nanotechnology

A total of 75 projects brought out by 23 IITs are selected for the event, along with 6 showcase projects. Out of the 6 showcase projects, IIT Kanpur will lead a presentation on the ongoing R&D in drone technology and how diverse its utilities have become; IIT Bombay will lead a presentation on the Bahubhaashak project, which enables speech-to-speech translation, NPTEL, SWAYAM, MOOCs videos in vernacular languages, in-line with the vision of National Education Policy 2020; IIT Madras will lead a presentation on 5G Core and allied technologies; IIT Delhi will lead a presentation on the R&D in the broader areas of climate change, agriculture, rural technologies, sanitation, etc; IIT Kharagpur will lead a presentation on affordable healthcare devices and technologies; and IIT Hyderabad will lead a presentation on the technological innovations in the electric vehicle (EV) sector.

The selected projects will be presented before the audience in designated booths during the 2-day mega event. Representatives from the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), and National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM), will be present at the event. The audience shall also include administrators and students from universities and colleges from small towns, global IIT alumni, faculties of various CFTIs, scientists from DRDO, ISRO, CSIR, and ICAR, and so on.

The 2-day event will hold interactive as well as one-to-one sessions among the academia and industry representatives. Dr. Pawan Goenka, Chairman, BoG IIT Madras; Dr. BVR Mohan Reddy, Chairman, BoG IIT Hyderabad, and IIT Roorkee; Dr. K. Radhakrishan, Chairman, Standing Committee for IIT Council and BoG IIT Kanpur; and all the Directors of the IITs will be present among the other invitees.

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