CII initiates Karnataka Innovation Forum

The Confederation of Indian Industries on Wednesday launched the CII Karnataka Innovation Forum (2008-2009) at IIM Bangalore.

The objective of the forum will be to provide a platform for R&D heads and innovation managers from different industry segments to share the best practices in R&D and innovation management.

Members can gain from the experience and knowledge of R&D heads, innovation managers and academia through interaction and exchange of ideas.

The forum will also provide employees of the R&D departments of PSUs, MNCs and other large companies a platform to network and explore innovation opportunities at the interface of emerging technologies and engineering disciplines.

The Forum Chair, Kris Gopalakrishnan, MD, Infosys Technologies said that Bangalore as a city is unique as it has all the key players necessary for developing a strong vibrant innovation ecosystem - strong academic and R&D base, vibrant industries ranging from IT, electronics, auto components, machine tools, heavy manufacturing, large presence of private equity players and financial institutions.

Further, he mentioned that each successive forum meetings will include a distinguished panel of speakers from the academia and industry.

Furthermore Forum members are also encouraged to suggest the speakers, topics and themes which would be presented at these meetings. The objective of the forum is to make it as participatory and relevant to the needs of the forum members so that effective communication can be facilitated.

Addressing the Forum, Prof P Balaram, director, Indian Institute of Science, reflected that innovation is a genuine idea translated and developed into a marketable product.

He further pointed out that the aim of a successful ecosystem should be intellectual advancement, which would only come about if educational institutions were given both adequate financial resources and administrative flexibility.

He also opined that segregation of disciplines into different institutions was also not healthy for developing a strong vibrant ecosystem for research.