Technology transfer new buzz in IITs

With the science and technology outlay being raised to 2 per cent of the gross domestic product by 2007, more technical institutions like the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) are looking at using the fund to set up autonomous technology transfer organisations.

Going by the IIT-Delhi experience, other technical and engineering institutions in state universities are seeking fund to set up similar autonomous technology transfer organisations.

"The institutions are looking at autonomous technology transfer organisations to help students build closer relationships with industry. They also help in commercialisation of applicable research techniques and act as an advantage to reward, retain and recruit faculty while generating additional resources for research and education," Dr AK Sengupta, managing director of the Foundation for Innovation and Technology Transfer (FITT) at IIT-Delhi said.

Technology transfer organisations facilitate marketing of institute expertise to externals, connect  faculty with industry and assist in formulation of proposals like drafting of contract and negotiations of terms at the pre-programme stage.

Such organisations would also provide logistical support to institutions such as communications, purchase, import, tax exemptions and concessions, legal issues during programme execution, Sengupta said.

Other financial management and post project assistance like invoicing, book-keeping, monitoring and reviewing with clients and dissemination of information and assistance on intellectual property right matters are provided by technology transfer organisations.

Both industry and academia benefit from technology transfer organisations as institutions are able to extend their teaching, research and services, while industry benefits from research and development and makes profits.

The development of projects and their commercialisation is enabled through seven distinct stages in a technology transfer organisation.

From an intensive conceptual analysis and development, the project idea goes through lab or bench scale experimentation, scale up demonstration, prototype development or pilot plant trials, techno-economic feasibility, test marketing and commercial production.

IIT Delhi's technology transfer organisation is the has around five new companies in the technology business incubation unit, which cater to new entrepreneurs, start ups and corporate researchers.