Conference on Industry Focused Research - TEC-2023

Chandigarh, October 12, 2023: Department of Science & Technology (DST) sponsored Technology Enabling Centre (TEC) of Panjab University, Chandigarh in collaboration with Chandigarh Administration, CII, Punjab State Council for Science & Technology (PSCST) organized a "Conference on Industry Focused Research - TEC-2023," so as to Transfer to Industry technologies developed by Scientists. 

More than 60 scientists from all over the Nation presented before Industry more than 75 technologies. More than 100 people from Industry were present in this Conference. Technologies in domain of Pharmaceuticals, Medical devices, Food-processing, Automation, Materials etc were presented in three parallel sessions. These 60 scientists will again present their technologies in English, Evening and Golden Jubilee Auditoriums of Panjab University, Chandigarh on 13th October 2023 (Friday) from 10 AM onwards and Industry is welcome to interact with these scientists on 13th October 2023 (Friday) in Panjab University, Chandigarh. 
 
Dr P J Singh, Chairman, CII Punjab and CMD, Tynor Orthotics Pvt Ltd, emphasized the pivotal role of industry-academia collaboration, stating, "India can become a superpower, a USD 5 trillion economy, and compete with developed nations only if the industry can harness the knowledge, research, development, and innovation happening in the universities. This conference facilitates the critical interaction between industry professionals and scientists, fostering an environment of mutual understanding and growth."
 
Professor Renu Vig, Vice Chancellor, Panjab University, shed light on the role of the Technology Enabling Centre (TEC) in mining more than 300 technologies from various labs of academia. She urged the industry to explore these technologies, stating, "Post this conference, TEC of Panjab University will be making a very focused effort to further promote technologies that have been presented today."
 
DPS Kharbanda, CEO, Punjab Bureau of Investment Promotion, Government of Punjab, emphasized the importance of collaboration between industry and academia. He said that this industry-academia interaction is just the first step. The main success lies in the actual transfer of technologies to their industry counterparts. Both academia and industry need to come out of the 'inertia' state of mind and become open and responsive to each other's suggestions.
 
Kharbanda stressed that it is only through the actual transfer of these technologies that industries can create high-impact firms, ultimately leading to increased profits and a boost in the state's economy. He further emphasized the need for both academia and industry to overcome any inertia in their mindset, encouraging them to adopt a more open and responsive approach to each other's suggestions.
 
Dr Anita Aggarwal, Head - Technology Development Transfer, DST, Government of India, highlighted various government schemes supporting the initiative and how they contribute to fostering collaboration between academia and industry. Dr Jatinder Kaur Arora, Executive Director, Punjab State Council for Science & Technology, discussed the pivotal role of PSCST in driving initiatives to bridge the gap between academia and industry.
 
Professor C R Suri, Chairman, Management Committee of TEC apprised the gathering that on 13th October 2023 these 60 scientists will present their technologies in Panjab University, Chandigarh before 200+ students with an expectation that students will create startup companies around technologies presented by the scientists. TEC of Panjab University will conduct a training program in November 2023 to teach art of making Business-plan. In months of October, November and December, interested students will be mentored to create concrete and compelling Business-plans around technologies presented by the Scientists. Mentors arranged by TEC will refine the Business-plans and these B-plans will finally be presented for funding before investors in February 2024.  
 
In the Conference, 60 scientists from 34 Institutes presented 75+ technologies in order to transfer them for commercialization to Industry. These technologies were from diverse sectors like Engineering, Medical devices, Pharmaceuticals, Food-processing, Automation, Materials, Agriculture etc. Through this Conference, the industry got an opportunity to interact with the scientists of their field, a thorough discussion on each technology took place, and if both parties agree then in due course of time, technologies will be transferred from academia to the industry.
 
The "International Conference on Industry Focused Research - TEC-2023" marked a significant step forward in fostering collaboration, knowledge sharing, and technology transfer between academia and industry. The event showcased the potential for India to emerge as a technological powerhouse through meaningful partnerships and the exchange of innovative ideas.