Offering students the chance to become entrepreneurs through application of technology, IIT Kharagpur has started construction of a first-of-its-kind Rs 350 crore research and innovation park at Rajarhat.

The institutes's officials today said they have got clearances from the Union Ministry of HRD to built the 10 acre park, which would act as an extension of IIT-Kharagpur.
"Students and researchers from all over the country and the rest of the world would be able to work together with the industry on research, development and application under a single roof in the facility, which would be ready in the next 2-3 years," Dr Joy Sen, in-charge of the project, told PTI.

He said inside the park, incubation units will be developed for young entrepreneurs who wish to develop start-up companies, typically using knowledge and technology developed in collaboration with IIT-Kharagpur.

The Park will have facilities to house collaborative research laboratories of partner organisations, incubation units and other academic and research facilities, amenities and utility units.

These will be connected with the main campus at Kharagpur to enable e-facilities for conduction of academic and research activities, officials said.

Software technology based on deep engineering science will be an important focus of the Park covering areas like Engineering Design and Manufacturing, Electronic Design Automation, Bio-Medical Informatics and Healthcare Technology, Multimedia and Image Processing, Communication and Networking, Energy Management, Water Ocean Urban and Regional Informatics, etc.

Other areas of focus will include Nanotechnology, MEMS, Microfluidics, Green Processes, Environmental and Disaster Management, officials said.

It will also enable a large number of highly qualified industry professionals to help in teaching and guiding research carried out not only in the park, but also in other programmes of the institute.