IIIT-Hyderabad’s Annual R & D Showcase 2019 draws huge interest

Hyderabad, February 23, 2019: IIIT-Hyderabad’s two days annual R&D Showcase 2019 kicked off formally here in the city today at IIIT-H Campus in Gachibowli. The theme for the show this year is “Health Care”. It has drawn a huge interest. Than Annual Research Festival as termed by Prof Vasudeva Varma, Dean (R&D), IIIT-H, ‘The R & D Showcase 2019 is featuring 300 exhibits from various Research Centers. The R & D Showcase 2019 is showcasing exhibits and demonstrating research projects that represent IIIT-H’s most recent developments in research and innovation in technology. The objective of it is to provide visitors an opportunity to learn firsthand about IIIT-H's cutting-edge research, innovation, and developments in technology. Also to create research interest in college and university students and faculty and help industry to identify areas for research collaboration with IIIT-H Currently, the show is in its 18th edition. There were a total of 281 posters, demos and models for visitors to browse through. More than 3000 visitors comprised of R & D heads, students, faculty from engineering colleges, industry professionals, tech-savvy individuals are expected to visit the same in two days. The event saw huge crowd checking various research projects right from the morning today. The inaugural function was marked by Inaugural talks by Prof. Vasudeva Varma, Dean (R & D), IIIT-H and Dr. Satya Prakash Dash, Director Global Innovations Impact Lab at PATH. Dr. Satya Prakash spoke on “Sensing & Responding to Technology Disruption-Navigating the haze” to 300 plus audience gathered for the inaugural function. Dr. Satya Prakash shared research trends in health care and their relevance. Speaking about Big Data he said, it could be understood as the convergence of four dimensions: volume, variety, velocity, and veracity. This 4V’s is a data management trend conceived to help organizations realize and cope with the emergence of big data. This is not the first time in human history that we have had date explosion, he observed. IBM estimated that 2.5 quintillion bytes of data are created every day. Once you have data, what do you do with that? he asked He shared his experience of visiting Amazon Go on his recent visit to the USA. These convenience stores have no cashiers. All they have is hundreds of cameras and a lot of data. And they generate a lot of data, he said. Data means different things to different people. We have multiple futures with data, he added. Speaking about research trends in healthcare, he spoke about 3D Bioprinting of tissues and organs for regenerative medicine and how it is expected to revolutionize medical care. It is possible to print body parts now, he shared. He gave an example of Organovo, an early-stage medical laboratory and research company in the USA which designs and develops functional, three-dimensional human tissue for medical research and therapeutic applications. He also talked about how GRAIL, a company which promises to detect cancer early, when it can be cured. Survival rates are higher when cancer is diagnosed at an earlier stage Dr. Prakash added. However, he said, the effective screening exists only for a few cancer types, and most cancer is detected at a later stage when survival rates are much lower. But, now with the advent of a new wave of technologies, this is going to be changed. I believe now more than ever that data will support the development of a test that could help detect cancers earlier than is currently possible in medical practice today, he informed. Further, he spoke about another company Kognito, a health simulation company how its simulations prepare people to lead real-life conversations that changes lives. Adding further Dr. Satya Prakash informed much to the surprise of his audience that the research was going on to produce animal meat in the laboratories. Mosa Meat, a Dutch food technology company, is working on creating production methods for cultured meat. The company has produced the world’s first slaughter-free meat a couple of years ago. It has grown ‘Cow cells’ instead of slaughtering an animal. They are now embarked on developing the first commercial product. Its mission is to produce real meat for the world growing population that is delicious, healthier, better for the environment, and kind to animals, he added. DR. Satya Prakash also touched about how Google's Project Baseline is going to map the entire journey for human health. This will map the factors that contribute to good health and illness, he stated. Why take examples of elsewhere in the world. Here in our own India, a Bengaluru-based Osteo3d makes 3D-printed medical models and guides to help surgeons better plan and execute surgeries. Now, Oste03d designs and fabricates 3D printed pre-surgery models and guides, specifically for dentistry work, neurosurgeries and maxillofacial surgeries. And it has assisted hundreds of doctors across the country, Dr. Satya Prakash added. Three scientists in Bangalore developed artificial liver tissues which perform functions almost of the human liver. This has given hope for people seeking liver tissues from live donors. It is now a potential alternative, informed Dr. Satya Prakash. Dr. Stya Prakash spoke about how pills with Sensors will revolutionize the health care industry. With so much technology getting into health care, it could be possible in the future that your personal health be subjected to hacking in a similar way the websites are hacked by hackers. Even medical devices can be hacked. And this could pose a bigger challenge to the world, he observed. Giving his welcome address, Prof Vasudeva Varma stressed the need to move the lab to land. Research connectivity is low across the world. We are working hard to make that impact much better, he shared Research is another word for solving problems, he explained. There is a need to simplify discovery. Research has to be discovered, he added. We highlighted various initiatives taken up at IIIT-H. He elaborated Co-innovation, Co-Research, Co-Creation Model. He also informed that the Institution has been working with Startups on the campus. The campus for these start-ups is an extended workplace, he added. He also touched upon Innovation three-way model, where IIIT-H, the academic institution works with companies, research labs, and start-ups. We have the largest academic incubator in the country. That is where 100 plus companies are incubated on the campus. T-Hub, India’s largest incubator for start-ups is also located on the campus. With these two incubators around in the campus, the highest density of Innovation is here, Prof Vasudeva Varma claimed. Faculty engagement programs and Technology Transfer Centre are a few other initiatives. Together with these, IIIT-H has excellent R & D infrastructure, he informed. This event, The R & D Showcase 2019 is the touch point for the institution with society and industry, he informed. He described the R & D Showcase the festival where we harvest our Research. The event showcased industry ready products at Kohli Research Block. A panel discussion on "the role of emerging technology and research in medicine and healthcare' held. The Couple of Key Note talks were also held on subjects such as Blockchain, Healthcare, and others. There was also a keynote talk by Prof ArunTangirala from Dept of Chemical Engineering, IIT-Madras. IIIT-H professors Sujit Gujar and KannanSrinathan spoke about AI and blockchain. On Sunday, Prof Jayanthi Sivawamy and Dhananjaya Dendukuri, CEO and co-founder of Achira Labs will their views on research trends and relevance to healthcare technologies.