'Research and development important for bright society'

Academic teaching alone will not make a bright society. Research and development is very important for this, said Gaurav Gupta, IT, BT and Tourism Department principal secretary to the Government of Karnataka.

He was speaking as chief guest at the valedictory programme of Sahyadri Conclave organised by the Sahyadri College of Engineering and Management in Adyar on Wednesday.

"In this regard, the IT – BT Department of the state is putting in efforts to partner with countries like Australia, Israel, Finland, Germany, England towards research programmes," he lauded.

Stating that the Karnataka Government has invested over Rs 100 crore in the last four years towards research and development in various institutions, Guarav Gupta said that the Information and Technology Department has formulated programmes involving local communities, students and national institutes. Immersion programmes have been planned for the top performing students in SSLC, from government colleges. Under the programmes, the students will visit Institutes like IISc and Jawaharlal Nehru Centre.

Speaking on the occasion, Serge Haroche, Nobel Laureate in Physics, called upon the students to develop critical thinking. "One's own way of looking at the world is important in the present time, where fake news and conspiracies are spreading," he advised.

He meanwhile appreciated the projects displayed by the students during the conclave.

Nobel Laureate in Chemistry Ada E Yonath, Turing Award winner in Computer Science Joseph Sifakis, NITK director Prof Karnam Uma Maheshwar Rao, Mangalore University vice chancellor Prof K Byrappa, Bhandary Foundation chairman Manjunath Bhandary, Sahyadri College of Engineering and Management director Prof D L Prabhakara were present among others.

Incubation network

Gaurav Gupta said that the government has been widening the incubation network, spreading across the entire state. The incubation centres meant for start-ups will promote the students in providing solution to the problems such as traffic, wastewater management, sanitation, plant diseases and health care. These centres will have a tie-up with institutions like NITK. There are 7,000 start-ups at present and 20,000 start-ups are planned for the next five years.

Gaurav Gupta inaugurated the New Age Incubation Network – NAIN at the Sahyadri College of Engineering and Management on the occasion. The centre will focus on projects such as awareness programmes on cleanliness, cost effective precast toilet for rural Karnataka, computer-aided diagnosis for early detection of breast cancer, freshness analysis of sea fish, hydrophonic agriculture system and so on. Pre - ideation workshops, mentoring, incubation and start-up programmes will be conducted in this regard. Faculty from the department concerned and an industry expert will provide guidance to students. Karnataka Government provides support up to three years in the initial stage.