Rs 584 cr worth industry -backed research projects at IIT-Madras

The faculty secured sanction for projects worth Rs 151 cr in 2013-14, while the total value of ongoing sponsored projects is Rs 584 cr

The aggregate value of ongoing sponsored projects at IIT Madras is Rs 584 crore, which constitutes a sizable part of institute’s total budget, said Bhaskar Ramamurthi, director of IIT Madras.

In his speech at the IIT Madras convocation held here recently, Ramamurthi said the institute had been pro-active in seeking industry collaborations with a view to raising the technology bar in industry and making Indian globally competitive.

“The strength of our industry collaboration was evident from the increase in the number of MoUs signed, at 60 this year, up from 22 last year,” he said.

The MoUs were signed with industries including Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, Integral Coach Factory, Trivitron Healthcare, Biocon, BHEL, Toshiba Corporation, Samsung Electronics, saint-Gobain and Titan Co.

The faculty secured sanction for projects worth Rs 151 crore in 2013-14, while the total value of ongoing sponsored projects is Rs 584 crore. In 2013-14, the institute received project sanction worth Rs 54 crore for new products from the industry.

Public funding for research in the form of sponsored projects from science ministries and government departments has been critical for the high research intensity of IIT Madras.

He added the institute  earned Rs 97 lakh from technology transfer fees and royalties in 2013-14. The Intellectual Property Management Cell has enabled filing of over 100 patents during the year. In order to provide impetus for new research, a Rs 50 crore research fund has been created, he noted.

The interest income from the allocation is being used to fund research awards, research scholar innovation projects, exploratory research projects from faculty members among others.

The fund also supports patenting and commercialisation activities by the IP cell and maintenance of capital equipment, said Ramamurthi.

The institute had supported 12 new innovative students projects to the tune of Rs 18.10 lakh, he added.

Placements
Speaking about the placement, he said 267 companies had visited the campus for placements, of which 84 have been from core engineering sector. Focus was placed on contracting various Fortune 500 and other leading companies. A total of 914 students were placed through the Placement Office, of which,  57 per cent  had joined core engineering companies.

To enhance student interaction with the companies, the Research Park of IIT Madras, con-ordinated the summer internship 2014 drive, placing about 56 third year students for internships in 26 companies.