CSIR innovation complex to come up in Bangalore
Seven more planned during 12th plan
The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) will set up eight innovation complexes, including one in Bangalore, in the 12th plan period.
The CSIR decision is aimed at creating a portfolio of commercial products based on indigenous technologies.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has approved the establishment of the first three in Chennai, Mumbai and Kolkata within the next 18-24 months, CSIR Director-General Samir Kumar Brahmachari told Deccan Herald. The other complexes will come up subsequently.
Each of these Rs 90-crore innovation complex—swanky towers teeming with young scientists and students bristling with ideas—will focus on one particular area and translate indigenous research into products and technology with commercial potential.
The Chennai complex will work on clean energy while the Mumbai unit is meant for work on drugs and therapeutics. The Kolkata complex will be dedicated to zero emission technology.
Similar innovation complexes will be set up in Delhi, Bangalore, Pune, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad.
The Bangalore complex will concentrate on a new innovation concept known as “Fourth Paradigm,” which is basically discovering new product leads and services models through large-scale data mining.
The CSIR has sought Planning Commission’s approval for four more complex hoping that the chain of 12 innovation complexes will drive translational research and commercial products based on CSIR technologies.
The innovation complexes will have 1,50,000 square ft of space and house about 300 people, a majority of them will be young students.
The apex science council is also changing its recruitment rules so that it can hire bright young scientists on contract with attractive pay.
The council with 37 laboratories under its wings and 16,000 employees won’t create new posts for appointments in these innovation complexes. Rather it will readjust its staff and hire on contract for the translation. The towers will also house micro-fab and advanced laboratories for experiments and product development.
Work on the proposed complex will start immediately in Chennai. In Kolkata, the innovation complex will start functioning in another CSIR building.
The Maharashtra government’s permission has been sought for the Mumbai complex.
Another channel. Meanwhile, opening up yet another innovation channel, Prime Minister’s advisor Sam Pitroda on Wednesday said the National Innovation Council plans to create a $ 1 billion fund to build an ecosystem for innovation for the benefit of the 20-odd industrial clusters.
Pitroda said each industrial cluster will have local advisory cells in universities and earmark funds for scholarships to spur innovative minds enabling university professors to undertake research benefiting the industry.
“The way forward is to align local clusters with universities in their proximity and to enable varsities to set up business incubators and research and development tool kits,” he added.
