Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Dr Jitendra Singh said that it is the best time for Indian startups, innovators and the scientific fraternity as a whole as the government led by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi is providing an enabling environment for them to showcase their best from their potential, talents and creative and innovative instincts.
Dr. Addressing all the Directors and Chairmen of Professional Bodies under the Ministry of Science and Technology here today, Jitendra Singh said that we are meeting at a time when the Government led by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given special support to science. , Technology and Innovation.
Dr Jitendra Singh said the 16 research institutions in the DST family form a very special group from several perspectives. Some of them are among the oldest research institutions in the country (including oldest), some were started by eminent scientists and individuals like Mahendra Lal Sircar, CV Raman, JC Bose, Birbal Sahni and DN Wadia, some are repositories of very old and valuable scientific data, some they lead the nation in cutting-edge fields such as astronomy and astrophysics, geomagnetism, advanced materials, and nanoscience and technology.
Development of home biomedical devices
Most research institutions in the DST family are basic research institutions. The only exceptions are SCTIMST-Trivandrum and ARCI-Hyderabad. SCTIMST-Trivandrum has been a national torchbearer in the development of home biomedical devices that have helped reduce healthcare costs for a large number of our citizens.
The minister recalled that in the scenario of the COVID-19 pandemic, SCTIMST has developed a quick method to come up with many products, some of which have already been commercialized and started to be used to manage the Covid-19 pandemic.
ARCI-Hyderabad has carved out a very special place for itself as a leading organization for the development and transfer of technology in the field of advanced materials. These research institutions have an impressive portfolio of research publications and awards and honors won by their scientists and their products, he said.
The minister said that the 3 specialized knowledge institutions and S&T service organizations – TIFAC, NECTAR and NIF – are unique in their own way. TIFAC approaches technology forecasting in various sectors in a very structured way that involves all stakeholders and also supports new technology development tools and their diffusion across the country.
One of his notable achievements is TIFAC’s Technology Vision 2035 document. NECTAR is unique in sourcing technologies to find solutions to problems specific to the North Eastern states. NIF is a unique body that looks for fundamental innovations and helps to further develop them into viable, technology-enabled products or processes.
Dr Jitendra Singh mentioned that all the 5 leading scientific and technical professional bodies of the country viz. INSA-Delhi, IAS-Bangalore, NASI-Allahabad, INAE-Delhi and ISCA-Kolkata belong to the DST family. Again, most of them are very old organizations founded by leading scientists and individuals, including the Indian Science Congress Association, which is more than a century old.
The minister said that recently the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Modi approved the National Quantum Mission (NQM) to promote scientific and industrial research and development in the field of quantum technology. It will be implemented by the Ministry of Science and Technology (DST).
Artificial intelligence supporting both startups and general innovators
The mission, planned for 2023-2031, aims to seed, nurture and expand scientific and industrial research and development and create a vibrant and innovative ecosystem in the field of quantum technology (QT).
The minister said that few AIs are working in various aspects of quantum technology eg IACS, Bose Institute, IASST (developed carbon quantum imaging and detection probes to detect nuclear hydrogen peroxide in living cells); A group of laboratories at RRI is at the forefront of the development of quantum communication technologies; (S. N. Bose National Center for Basic Sciences (SNBNCBS) uses quantum entanglement for futuristic energy storage technology.
AIs are also involved in international programs or collaborations with other countries, such as the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT), the Aditya-L1 Mission, the Maunakea Spectroscopic Explorer and the Next Generation Ultraviolet Space Mission.
Artificial intelligence has taken the lead in supporting both startups and general innovators in emerging technologies. Among AIs, Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences & Technology, Trivandrum has been ranked 9th in the Medical category in the National Institutional Ranking Framework.
Talking about Technical Research Centres, Dr Jitendra Singh said that this program was launched following the budget announcement made by the Hon’ble Finance Minister of India in his budget speech in the fiscal year 2014-15.
Five Technical Research Centers (TRCs) have been established with the mission of providing techno-legal-commercial and financial support to scientists, entrepreneurs and business fraternity to achieve translation of research into products and processes for greater economic and societal benefits in 5 DST institutions at a total cost of Rs. Specifically, 467 million crores.
Written by: Vaishali verma
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