Here’s how the Tech Bridge India initiative by I-STEM is driving the Make in India vision by identifying and taking impactful innovations from the lab to the market.
India’s thriving innovation ecosystem features ground-breaking concepts from university labs and entrepreneurial minds. However, their opportunities to reach an audience remain limited. A critical bridge remains unbuilt, connecting these technologies to industries where they may actually thrive and benefit society.
Enter Tech Bridge India, a strategic project spearheaded by the Indian Science Technology and Engineering Facilities Map (I-STEM) with the goal of unlocking revolutionary technologies and propelling the Make in India mission.
Consider a medical technology produced at a university that has accumulated dust due to the hurdles of navigating the healthcare market. Tech Bridge India comes in, spotting its potential and expediting its journey from lab to market, so improving innumerable lives. This is only one illustration of how revolutionary this effort is.
Tech Bridge India embodies seamless connectivity, transcending traditional boundaries between academia and industry. It recognises that true innovation flourishes at the intersection of diverse perspectives, and bridging this gap is essential for India’s economic growth and global competitiveness.
THE I-STEM WEB PORTAL: A GATEWAY TO ACADEMIA-INDUSTRY COLLABORATION
The I-STEM web portal, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January 2020, is an initiative conceived and supported by the office of Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India to facilitate collaborative research and development efforts across the nation.
A key component of this initiative is the digital catalog hosted on the I-STEM portal, which provides easy access to updated information on various technologies and products developed by institutions and organisations across India.
This catalog aims to bring together researchers from industry and academia to collaborate on addressing domestic needs, thereby contributing to India’s self-reliance goals. I-STEM has already collected 950+ technologies which will be taken into action initially.
KEY OUTCOMES AND IMPACT OF TECH BRIDGE INDIA
- Tech Bridge India taps into the rich reservoir of academic research across Indian universities, identifying promising innovations with commercialization potential.
- Acting as a scout, Tech Bridge India also identifies key challenges and technological needs across various sectors, fostering targeted collaborations and knowledge exchange.
- Recognising the crucial role of startups and entrepreneurs, Tech Bridge India fosters an enabling environment for academia-startup-industry partnerships.
ADDRESSING THE GAP BETWEEN ACADEMIA AND INDUSTRY: TECH BRIDGE INDIA’S APPROACH
At Tech Bridge India, we understand the importance of startups and entrepreneurs in driving technological innovation. Our strategy is based on bridging the gap between technological readiness levels (TRLs) commonly seen in academics and the higher TRLs required by industry.
Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) are a measure of a technology’s maturity, ranging from TRL 1 (basic principles seen) to TRL 9 (real system demonstrated by successful operation in a relevant context).
Tech Bridge India tackles this imbalance by encouraging collaboration between academia and industry to move inventions from lower to higher TRL levels, thereby matching research efforts with industrial requirements.
THE ROAD AHEAD: PROPAGATING INNOVATION FOR A BRIGHTER FUTURE
Aligned with the national agenda, Tech Bridge India connects government agencies to solve problems by searching the existing catalog and experts and recommends to the government to exploit the existing technology rather than building from scratch.
The innovations nurtured through Tech Bridge India address pressing societal challenges, improving quality of life and fostering inclusive growth. By catalysing academia-industry collaborations, Tech Bridge India unlocks new markets, creates jobs, and fosters entrepreneurship, fueling economic growth.
Tech Bridge India represents a paradigm shift, not just building the bridge between academia and industry, but ensuring it thrives. By joining forces, we can propel India towards a brighter, more innovative future where groundbreaking ideas find fertile ground and flourish.
This article was published on India Today.
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