Even as institutes across the country rue that the contribution of Indian industry to research and development continues to be much less than what is desired,IIT Bombay has seen a 52 per cent hike in funding from industry in 2012-13 as compared to the previous academic year. Figures released during the 51st convocation ceremony of the institute Saturday show that IIT Bombay received grants of Rs 293.5 crore in 2012-13 for various projects from diverse sectors such as steel,construction,banking,information technology,telecommunication and automobile. Of this,Rs 41 crore came from industry,a significant jump from the Rs 18.33 crore that it got from the industrial sector in 2011-12. The growing interest from industry is attributed to R&D projects by IIT students in areas such as solar energy,nanotechnology,aerospace innovation and educational technology. This year,a major portion of funding for projects which typically ranges from two to five years,has come from the government (83 per cent) and industry (13 per cent). While the countrys annual research funding is much less compared to that of China and the US,the funding for R&D activities by IIT Bombay has seen over 200 per cent growth in the past six years. Overall too,there has been an over 50 per cent increase in grants received in 2012-13 as compared to 2011-12. In 2011-12,Rs 189.9 crore in grants was received by IIT-B for research projects and consultancy. IIT-B director Prof Devang Khakhar said,Among 15 IITs in the country,67 of the top 100 rankers in JEE 2013 have joined IIT Bombay. Eight of the top 10 All-India JEE rank holders have also chosen to join this institute. Research and development activity at IIT Bombay is also growing rapidly. During 2012-13,research and development receipts grew by 54 per cent compared to the previous year. Academics termed the overall trend promising. A similar growth is also seen in patenting and publications at IIT Bombay. As per the 2010-11 annual report of the Controller General of Patents,Designs & Trade Marks,the institute is one of the top five entities filing Indian patent applications in the field of information technology. In 2012-13,70 patents were filed in India,two in trademarks and design and one in copyright. The convocation ceremony saw 46 medals being awarded to students from various categories. The President of India medal went to Chordia Sagar of department of computer science and engineering being awarded the President of India Medal. A total of 2,044 degrees,of which 175 were Ph.D, were awarded to the students. In his address,S Ramadorai,chairman of National Skill Development Agency and vice-chairman,Tata Consultancy Services (TCS),said,When the results of IITs efforts are seen on the streets of a city,touching the life of an average citizen,its truly innovation at its best. The system to tackle road traffic congestion in Mumbai for me is a satisfying and pleasing sight,indicating IITs commitment to a common good. The seven IITs in the country,along with TCS and the National Association of Software and Services Companies,plan to launch Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) in both rural and urban areas to generate around 150,000 jobs every year. Ramadorai said,Educational content will eventually become free,just like mobile applications. MOOCs could be re-purposed for a largely semi-literate population. I believe open online courses have a great potential to move beyond higher education,into the area of vocational skills and education.
