DRDO registers jump in filing patents

Boosted by an aggressive awareness campaign, the Defence Research and Development Organisation has registered a substantial jump in filing patents and set a 10 per cent growth target for the current year.     

"Last year, we filed 100 patents. Just two years back, it was a very low figure. DRDO has set a 10 per cent growth target on the patent filing front for the current year and is confident of beating its own expectations," DRDO's Director in the Directorate of Extramural Research and Intellectual Property Rights, S Sankaran, told PTI.     

Bulk of the patents filed is in the area of life sciences, followed by medical chemistry, drugs and biology.     

DRDO would like to put more stress on engineering products, an area where patent-filing has been comparatively less, Sankaran said.     

DRDO's thrust on patent-filing comes at a time when they are redoubling efforts to get on board high quality talent to fuel its projects, which are in plenty.     

"We proactively go to our labs and try to have a lot of workshops in which we sensitise on how one can do, what sort of support one should give," Sankaran said.     

"And we have patent clinics, we take patent attorneys....(to advise) people who got ideas which are in the elementary stage. They may have done something but don't know whether it's patentable or not," he said.

DRDO is also taking steps to attract science and engineering talent to shore up its resource base.     

"When we go to colleges, many engineering students are not aware of what is DRDO. Some believe DRDO is doing some secret defence projects...We are taking steps to get more and more younger people," DRDO's Chief Controller R & D (Services Interaction), Dr Prahlada said.     

Joining DRDO was generally not the top choice of young graduates, but the scenario is changing. "The economic downturn that has led to slowdown in the job market and hefty pay packages in DRDO following pay commission recommendations are attracting youngsters towards the organisation," he said.     

Attrition among DRDO scientists and engineers is almost zero this year, as against 17 per cent three years ago, Prahlada said, adding that this year 20 IIT graduates have joined the organisation.