CSMCRI fails to find buyers for its technology

Bhavnagar based research institute Central Salt and Marine Chemicals and Research Institute's (CSMCRI), which was in the look-out for corporate partners for its patented technologies, has, however, not tasted much success in the matter.

P K Ghosh, director of CSMCRI admitted that, "Off late, not many corporates have approached us for licensing technology or any tie-ups. We have not had much success in licensing our technology to corporates in a big way. "

The institute was eyeing to generate revenues worth Rs 5-10 crore per year from royalty and licensing of its patents. "We were looking at earning at least 15-20 per cent of our net fund requirements, and eventually target at becoming a self-sustained institute," Ghosh said. However, at the moment there is hardly any demand.

The institute had come into focus after it developed a commercially viable technology to produce bio-diesel from jatropha crop.

CSMCRI collaborates with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) which is doing trial runs on millitary vehicles using bio-diesel. It has also entered into an agreement with the US Department of Energy(DoE) and General Motors (GM) to develop jatropha as a sustainable crop. Moreover, it is supplying the fuel to the tourist department which runs the tourist buses in the Gir sanctuary on bio-diesel.

Buoyed by the initial demand, the institute had planned to set up a 10,000 litres per day plant to make bio-diesel. However, even after petrol and diesel prices going on a steep curve, demand for bio-diesel have not picked up, Ghosh admitted.