CHENNAI, 27th September 2021: Indian Institute of Technology Madras Students are conducting a contest to create technical awareness among schools students of classes I to XII across India. Called ‘Shaastra Juniors,’ it is being held completely in online mode from 1st to 3rd October 2021 to enable students from all parts of the country to participate from the comforts of their homes.

Shaastra Juniors will comprise a fun-filled weekend filled with events, shows, lectures and workshops focused on kindling students’ interest in technical areas. The event will also have special trophies for the best school and excellent students.

“Water and life go together. Almost seventy percent of Earth’s surface is water and almost the same proportion of the human body, is water. Water is an exceptional molecule; very simple in structure, but with complex life giving properties. On a bigger scale, is India water-rich or water-starved? India houses the `Third Pole’ of ice and has water on three sides of the peninsula, should we look at India as richly endowed with water. Despite all of this, fresh water is getting scarce simply because large parts are getting contaminated due to pollution. India is the land of rivers. The question of the hour is this: how can we clean up the rivers? Nano-technology offers solutions to clean up contaminated water. Moreover, large scale removal of arsenic and uranium is happening thanks to nano-technological inventions from Dr T Pradeep’s lab. Not only has Prof Pradeep published 500 research papers but has about 125 patents to his credit. He is truly the `clean water technology man of India!’. He has also helped spawn several start up’s including one that is helping tap fresh water from air and another that is using the modern technology of `Internet of Things’ to monitor water quality. What is the future of clean water for India, will the future generations get clean potable water?”

CHENNAI, 30th September 2021: Indian Institute of Technology Madras Pravartak Technologies Foundation is going to collaborate with five start-ups to develop technologies for Ecosystem Development and Commercialization of Space and Deep Space. The consortium is called ‘Indian Space Technologies and Applications Design Bureau’ (I-STAC.DB) and will develop next-generation applications.

IIT Madras Pravartak Foundation-led consortium to develop technologies for development and commercialization of space and deep space. This will be a joint initiative with Five Young start-ups.

Called the ‘Indian Space Technologies and Applications Design Bureau,’ the Consortium will develop an end-to-end Atmanirbhar ecosystem for space technologies, from on-demand access to data and space including rapid launch capability, satellite design and assembly, sensors to future generation communication such as 6G and geo spatial application sectors.

The diplomas are open to anyone who has completed at least two years of undergraduate education through any mode. A learner can complete one diploma from IIT Madras in eight months.

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras has launched two diploma programmes in programming and data science. The courses would be delivered through a comprehensive learning delivery model that competes with a classroom learning experience. The courses include lecture videos, lecture-based activity questions, practice assignments, graded assignments, and mini-projects that reinforce problem-solving skills.

CHENNAI, 4th October 2021: Indian Institute of Technology Madras is launching two Diploma Programs in Programming and Data Science. These top-of-the-line diploma programs, carefully designed by leading experts in the field, are the only official diplomas offered by IIT Madras.

The program structure enables learners of all backgrounds to build the necessary fundamentals, enhance their knowledge, and hone their skills through extensive hands-on training. Learners need not have an engineering or computer science background. The diplomas are open to students, working professionals, and job seekers who have completed at least two years of their undergraduate education in any discipline through any mode.

CHENNAI, 7th October 2021: Indian Institute of Technology Madras Researchers have found that the waters of River Cauvery are polluted by a range of emerging contaminants that include pharmaceutically-active compounds, personal care products, plastics, flame retardants, heavy metals, and pesticides, among many others.

Of these, pharmaceutical contamination is particularly serious in India, which is the second-largest pharmaceutical manufacturing country in the world. These drug compounds, when released even in minuscule amounts into water bodies, can harm human beings and the ecosystem in the long run.

CHENNAI, 17th August 2021: Indian Institute of Technology Madras is to collaborate with the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), Government of India, on Pavement Engineering and Intelligent Transportation Systems.

This includes research on novel pavement materials and technologies, hydrogen cell transportation, automatic vehicle classification, novel toll systems, incident management systems, traveller information systems, FastTAG data analytics and traffic simulations besides transportation safety.

Towards this, a ‘MoRTH Chair’ is being created at IIT Madras, to focus on R&D, teaching and training in Traffic and Highway Engineering. The Chair Professor will act as a Strategic Advisor to MoRTH in Road Transport and Highways.

The Chair professor will interface with the Standard and Research (S&R) wing of MoRTH, facilitating need-based research in the area of ‘Traffic and Highway Engineering.’

The MoU for setting up this Chair was signed during a virtual event today (17th August 2021) by Prof. Mahesh Panchagnula, Dean (Alumni and Corporate Relations) and Prof. Bhaskar Ramamurthi, Director, IIT Madras, as well as Mr. Indresh Pandey, Director General (Road Development) and Mr. Giridhar Aramane, Secretary, MoRTH, in the presence of Prof. Manu Santhanam, Head, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Madras.

Addressing the MoU signing event, Mr. Giridhar Aramane, IAS, Secretary, Road Transport and Highways, Government of India, said, “IIT Madras should concentrate on developing less polluting pavement engineering technologies as well as intelligent transportation systems. We are already engaged with IIT Madras in a major way in terms of consultancies. This Chair Professorship as well as this entire program can be directed towards important and innovative R&D work.”

The Chair Professor will also undertake R&D activities in Pavement Engineering including emerging materials and technologies such as

– Use of coir and other bio-derived materials

– Use of alternative aggregates such as recycled concrete and asphalt pavement

– Use of environmentally sustainable materials for highway pavements

This collaboration will also facilitate PhD research programs on areas selected by MoRTH. IIT Madras will train 8 to 10 students including MoRTH’s nominated officers in the field of Highway Engineering.

Thanking MoRTH for reposing faith in the Institute, Prof. Bhaskar Ramamurthi, Director, IIT Madras, said, “We are happy and proud to receive this endowment and the endorsement from Ministry of Road Transport and Highways to set up this Chair Professorship. It will provide an impetus for application-oriented research. We are already active in Pavement Engineering and Intelligent Transportation Systems. A lot of our know-how already reaches the field through industry collaboration. Our efforts have also reduced accidents in highways across the country. There is a lot of good research going on and a lot of capability had been built. We are well-placed to take up interesting projects and seed them with the proceeds of this endowment.”

IIT Madras will allow MoRTH Officers (subject to required qualification) to act as co-supervisors for M.Tech./MS and PhD projects of students on the recommendation of supervisors at IIT Madras as per the institute norms.

The Chair Professor will also advise the Highway Research Board of Indian Road Congress for identification and monitoring of R&D activities and act as an ambassador of highway development in the country.

Highlighting the benefits of this collaboration, Prof. Manu Santhanam, Head, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Madras, said, “IIT Madras has arguably the best transportation engineering research group in the country today, with the areas of work covering pavement materials and intelligent transportation systems. The Chair Professorship gives an opportunity for IIT Madras to take research to practice and also lead to major contributions to the nation’s infrastructure. The wealth of information available with MoRTH in terms of data would help in validating several research studies undertaken here.”

The Chair Professor will act as a facilitator for promoting collaboration between MoRTH, IIT Madras and other academic and research institutions/industries from India and abroad. The Professor will also assist in the evaluation and introduction of new technology, ITS and recycling, equipment and material for improving road safety and operational efficiencies.

12th August 2021: Indian Institute of Technology Madras and Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Chennai, are collaborating with Queen Mary University of London (QMUL), the UK, to develop India-centric Air Sanitization Technologies and guidelines to prevent the spread of Coronavirus and Tuberculosis. This system is aimed at deployment in confined indoor places such as offices and hospitals.

This joint research aims to develop a robust low-cost bio-aerosol protection system to suppress air-transmitted diseases in indoor locations. In collaboration with Magneto Cleantech, a pioneering industry start-up based in Delhi, the testing and implementation will be done with real-time applications in various Indian environments.

COVID-19 pandemic has claimed more than four lakh lives in India alone. TB killed over 4.45 lakh people In India during 2019 and is among the top 10 causes of death worldwide.

The target geographies for this project are India and its adjacent countries. The major factor working with this area is the high population and heavy urban pollution. It is expected that this project, when successfully implemented, will benefit nearly 10 crore people in the Indian sub-continent.

The project will be aimed at developing an experimental proof-of-concept of a revolutionary air filtration system using ‘Ultraviolet-C’ radiation. It has a strong potential to increase the effectiveness of eliminating viruses and other airborne pathogens and reduce maintenance costs as compared to the available filters, which is important for developing countries such as India.

Elaborating on the current status of the project and expected field deployment, Project Coordinator Prof. Abdus Samad, Department of Ocean Engineering, IIT Madras, said, “IIT Madras always tries for collaborative research to solve societal problems. When the Covid lockdown started in March 2020, we all got scared. As a researcher, we started thinking how to reduce the pain and distress caused by the airborne viruses. At the same time, the Royal Academy of Engineering of the UK announced research funding for international collaborative works linking to industry. We immediately took action and started research on disinfecting air for indoor conditions.”

Further, Prof. Abdus Samad said, “Various UVC solutions are present in the market but they lack the technical design rigor needed to ensure appropriate airborne disinfection and inactivation. This has led to consumer confusion and mistrust. The projects’ goal is to develop a solution that is extensively verified and tested from both theoretical and practical perspectives, and finally, the safety made visible in a consumer-friendly manner ensuring live performance of the system.”

In keeping with the Government of India’s goal of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ and ‘Start-up India’ program, the joint consortium will develop products that would be commercialized through Magneto along with the academic institutions. This will pave the way for many new job openings for young budding engineers. This will be an important development for the benefit of society and the entire world in the fight against these diseases.

Highlighting the technical aspects of the project, Prof. Nithya Venkatesan, Professor, School of Electrical Engineering, Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Chennai, said, “The design of this prototype will be based on multidisciplinary optimization, fluid dynamic analysis, and novel innovations in Ultraviolet-C (UVC) arrangements and sensors and controls developed by leading UK and Indian researchers. The team will also explore mechanisms for monitoring the performance of such systems in real-time environments using new-age bio-sensing and simulations through an IoT device.”

Further Prof. Nithya Venkatesan said, “One very important aspect is that we will seek to establish guidelines for how to use this air cleaning device in concert with other policies of cleaning, ventilation, and social distancing. We will account for the features found in high-density population centres in India and similar developing countries. This will be achieved through advanced fluid dynamics modelling, risk analysis, and co-operation with national and local stakeholders.”

This project has major funding from Royal Academy Engineering (RAENG), UK, under the ‘Transforming System through Partnership’ scheme. The total budget of the project is about A80,000, and it is for a period of two years (April-2021 to April-2023). Partial funding support is also made by the participating organizations.

The UK’s counterpart Dr. Eldad Avital of Queen Mary University of London said, “Designing any practical system needs a multidisciplinary team. Eventually, we got experts from electronic and electrical system designers, microbiologists and fluid system designers. Sars-Cov-2 spreads quickly and new variants are evolving as we have seen delta and other variants. We need to proceed to the right technology to contain, disinfect it. Our solution will work, in general, for air disinfection for indoor conditions”.

Emeritus Professor of Leeds Beckett University Prof. Clive Beggs is the consultant to the project and an expert in infection control and airborne infection. He stated, “Viruses and bacteria can easily be liberated into the air within room spaces, and if their concentration is allowed to build up then this can pose a threat to humans because the pathogens can be inhaled. Our air disinfection device has the potential to reduce the concentration of pathogens in room air and thus reduce the spread of diseases such as COVID-19 and TB. Through a collaboration between academics and industry we are developing a pathogen reduction system which should help protect building occupants.”

Mr. Himanshu Agarwal, the CEO of Magneto Cleantech, the Indian industry Partner based in New Delhi, and Mr. Bhanu Agarwal, the co-founder, will provide the overall air conditioning systems design guidance. They will also provide the necessary oversight to ensure an overall system design that meets the needs of practical buildings and air conditioning systems in India. Magneto will also apply the system to client sites and assess the performance of the designed system.

Mr. Himanshu Agarwal said, “The most difficult task for air purification systems in the subcontinent is to tackle the heavy pollution and airborne contaminant load, requiring a robust design and regular cleaning. Our effort will be to come up with a feasible solution which will conform to industry regulations and can benefit the masses with real-time visibility.”

This research will also involve a strong educational training element giving opportunities to students from both India and the U.K. to collaborate towards solving acute problems affecting societies worldwide.

The Academic partners in India are Prof. Abdus Samad from IIT Madras and Prof. Nithya Venkatesan, from VIT, Chennai. Prof. Abdus Samad will lead the team for the whole system design and overall coordination. Prof. Nithya Venkatesan will focus on electrical components and IoT design.

The UK team is led by Dr. Eldad Avital from Queen Mary University of London, with Prof. Clive Beggs of Leeds Beckett University being the project consultant. Dr. Eldad will coordinate the UK team and will look after the fluid mechanics and mathematical modelling. Prof Beggs (an Emeritus professor) will look after the microbiology and UVC.

The students/researchers working on the project include:

– Mr. Saket Kapse (Research Associate, VIT University -Chennai)

– Mr. Rishav Raj (MS, Fluid machines, IIT Madras)

– Mr. Mahesh Chaudhari (BTech, IIT Madras)

– Dr. Wasim Raza (Postdoc Fellow, IIT Madras)

– Miss Dena Rahman (MEng, QMUL)

This project proposal was born from the need to develop bio-aerosol protection systems that would effectively eliminate airborne pathogens and make the confined spaces safer for the common public to access. Additionally, the need to make bio-safety visible to drive awareness and performance-based engineering is critical, so the project will research advanced sensing technologies to make the bio-contaminants and their removal visible to end-users.

CHENNAI, 9th August 2021: Indian Institute of Technology Madras is calling for applications for the next batch of the Online Data Science Program, the first-of-its-kind initiative launched in 2020.

A revolutionary concept, the program aims to make a Data Scientist out of anyone who has cleared Class XII and studied English and Maths in Class X, regardless of their geographic location, academic background, and profession. The classes for the next qualifier batch will commence in September 2021.

The success of this program can be gauged from the fact that it attracted learners from as many as 27 States and five Union Territories for the Foundation level, with participants ranging from students, bankers, engineers, researchers, managers, teachers, and CEOs, among others.

This Program provides a unique opportunity to study from IIT Madras without having to go through Joint Entrance Examination (JEE). Students can pursue the Diploma in Programming and Data Science along with their on-campus courses. The last date to apply for the next batch of this Data Science Program is 30th August 2021. Interested students can apply through the website – https://onlinedegree.iitm.ac.in.

Highlighting the unique aspects of this program, Prof. Andrew Thangaraj, Professor In-Charge, Data Science Program, IIT Madras, said, “One can build a career in Programming and Data Science through this Diploma from IIT Madras. The first batch is completing Foundation Level in August 2021 and Convocation is being planned.”

Further, Prof. Andrew Thangaraj said, “With this program, IIT Madras is delivering the highest quality learning opportunity to a very large number of learners, without compromising the rigor of the process. The combination of online classes and in-person invigilated exams accomplishes this. At each stage, students will have the freedom to exit from the program and receive a Certificate, Diploma or a Degree, from IIT Madras.”

IIT Madras offers the Diploma in Programming and Data Science with a unique model of learning combining online course delivery with in-person evaluation making it a first of its kind in the world. IIT Madras is providing scholarships upto 75% of the course fee to support students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Further, Dr. Vignesh Muthuvijayan, Professor In-Charge, Data Science Program, IIT Madras, said, “Data science is becoming an effective tool in solving many real-world problems and is being increasingly adopted across industries to make informed business decisions. The specializations in Programming and Data Science were chosen since the concepts can be taught completely online, including hands-on practical learning.”

A total of 7,116 learners have joined the first batch of the foundation level after clearing the qualifier process. Students through regular entry can join the diploma level after completing the foundation level. At the diploma level, students can either do a Diploma in Programming or a Diploma in Data Science or both.

Sharing his feedback on taking this Data Science Program, Mr. Aman Tiwari, a Student from Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, said, “Thanks to IIT Madras for coming up with this great program. This is not just an ordinary program, a ray of hope for so many students like me. We are getting the opportunity to learn the best from the best faculty and Professors of India. The structure of this program and the organisation of each and every activity is very smooth. There are lots of things like the student houses, clubs etc. that make this program exciting and unique.”

Mr. Dheeraj Kumar, a learner in the Foundation Level and an Assistant Manager at a Multinational bank said, “This is one of the best programs that I can find online. The structure of the program is very relevant as per the industry and the quality of the content is as good as the IIT on-campus program. This is also the cheapest program available given the quality of the content.”

As a part of the application process, all the applicants will go through a qualifier process, wherein IIT Madras provides four weeks of online training through video lectures, assignments, and live interactions with the course instructors. Upon completion of the online assignments, students are eligible to appear for the qualifier exam. Learners who clear the qualifier exam will be offered admission to the foundation level.

CHENNAI, 4th August 2021: ‘Venkataramani Fellowship in Clean Energy and Green Mobility’ has been established at IIT Madras to encourage and motivate graduate students to undertake research in the areas of Clean Energy and Green Mobility.

The Endowment is being set up by the family of the late Mr. N. Venkataramani, who was the Chairman and Managing Director of India Pistons and was a Fellow of The Institute of Mechanical Engineers

A MoU towards setting up the Endowment with a sum of Rs. 50 lakh for this Fellowship was signed today (4th Aug 2021) by Prof. Mahesh Panchagnula, Dean (Alumni and Corporate Relations), IIT Madras, and Mrs. Sita Venkataramani on behalf of Amalgamations Inc and the Venkataramani family, in the presence of Prof. Bhaskar Ramamurthi, Director, IIT Madras, other officials and family members of Shri. Venkataramani.

Recalling Shri N. Venkataramani’s contributions, Mrs. Sita Venkataramani said, “This Fellowship established at IIT Mdras reflects the passion that Mr. Venktaramani had during his professional life in encouraging young engineers to further their knowledge in areas that are important to society.”

Dr. R. Mahadevan, Director India Pistons and an alumnus of IIT Madras, outlined the various initiatives that Mr. Venkataramani had taken in the Amalgamations Group in the areas of Clean Energy and Green Mobility. Mr Ram Venkataramani and Mr. Gautam Venkataramani shared the steps that are being taken in the component companies to implement their father’s vision.

This Fellowship will provide monthly scholarship to the two graduate students of the MSc, MS, MTech and/or PhD programs for two years consecutively.

Speaking on the occasion, Prof. Bhaskar Ramamurthi, Director, IIT Madras, said, “IIT Madras is honoured to receive this gift in the memory of one of Tamil Nadu’s automotive industry captains, the late Shri N Venkataramani. Clean Energy and Green Mobility are very important for India and the world, and this Fellowship will enable bright young minds to take up the study of and research in these fields.”

Prof. Mahesh Panchagnula, Dean (Alumni and Corporate Relations), IIT Madras, said, “We are honoured to be associated with the legacy of Mr. Venkataramani, a doyen of Indian industry, through this scholarship. Students of IIT Madras will benefit from the scholarship in clean energy and green mobility.”

CHENNAI, 2nd August 2021: Indian Institute of Technology Madras has launched the country’s first Consortium for Virtual Reality called ‘Consortium for VR/AR/MR Engineering Mission in India’ (CAVE). As a group of academia, industries, start-ups, and Government bodies, this consortium is being coordinated by IIT Madras.

The main objective of this consortium is to enable members to create new advanced technologies and applications in Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, Mixed Reality (XR) and haptics together. Their research collaboration would be undertaken with industrial sponsors and participants from industry, academia, and Government.

The consortium will promote best practices, dialogue with all stakeholders, government policymakers, and research institutions. It aims to become a resource for industry, academia, consumers, and policymakers interested in virtual, augmented, and mixed reality. The CAVE’s Engineering Mission is to promote engineering of XR and haptic technology development, not just using XR and haptics, and adoption of XR and haptics globally, particularly in India.

Highlighting the key role that IIT Madras would play in this consortium, CAVE Coordinator Prof. M. Manivannan, Department of Applied Mechanics, IIT Madras, said, “A strong research group such as IIT Madras is needed for innovations in XR and haptics. As an academia initiated consortium, innovation is given priority, much more resource is available for every member, and together can reach a wider audience and achieve grandeur missions.”

Further, elaborating on how CAVE would benefit India, Prof. Manivannan said, “In this era of ‘Make in India,’ an India-specific consortium for XR and haptics is important to make big impacts.”

The Key outcomes envisaged from ‘Consortium for VR/AR/MR Engineering Mission in India’ (CAVE) include:

– Develop Indigenous VR/AR/MR and haptics hardware and software

– Setup ‘VR Superhighway’ or ‘VR Corridor’ where many start-ups and industries work together for a bigger mission to make India the choice for future XR and haptics needs.

– Promote VR Skill Training – Offer VR courses along with Industrial partners to bridge the gap between the global XR and haptic needs

– Promote Technology Enabled Skill Training using XR and haptic technologies such as medical skills training, vocational skills training, or education.

Dr. Neeraj Mittal, Principal Secretary, Department of Information Technology, Government of Tamil Nadu, inaugurated CAVE during a recent Webinar organized by the Centre of Excellence on Virtual Reality and Haptics at IIT Madras, set up under the ‘Institute of Eminence’ Initiative.

Addressing the inaugural event, Dr. Neeraj Mittal said that such a consortium was very much needed for a country like India for democratizing the experience. He gave an example of seeing and feeling the Keeladi artefacts without going there physically, and that the technology can be easily assessed by all levels of social strata, which otherwise may not be possible.

This CoE on VR and Haptics is India’s First Research and Product Innovation centre for XR and haptics Technology, transdisciplinary centre encompassing several fields of engineering, medicine, psychology and arts. The center is also known as Experiential Technology Innovation Center (XTIC.org).

The CoE was inaugurated by Dr. Chintan Vaishnav, Mission Director, Atal Innovation Mission (ATL), NITI Aayog. He said that the CoE can be an anchor for bringing various efforts in VR/AR into this centre for solving India’s mission. He particularly emphasized how the centre can help in skilling the youths of India, specifically children who are the future workforce, towards better literacy, in local languages.

As XR is highly interdisciplinary, innovations in this field need a confluence of minds from different fields. While most of the research labs around the world are focusing on either the computer science aspect of VR or the robotics aspect of VR, the centre at IIT Madras is focusing on the fundamentals of VR – perception and illusion. Haptics is the future of VR systems, and all interactions in future VR will be engineered with our understanding of Haptics.

The Inaugural Webinar was moderated by Prof. Steven M. LaValle who is the early founder of Oculus (acquired by facebook) and a Professor of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering at the University of Oulu, Finland.

Other panellists include Prof. Mandayam Srinivasan, founder of MIT Touchlab in Boston, U.S., and Professor of Haptics at University College of London, Dr. Venkat Sadanand, an engineer-turned-economist-turned-neurosurgeon. The panel discussed the challenges in perception studies and how the centre can make an impact on global research.

CHENNAI, 29th July 2021: Indian Institute of Technology Madras is going to collaborate with the Cancer Institute (WIA) at Adyar in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, to develop a point-of-care device for early diagnosis of Ovarian Cancer.

The two institutions have entered into an MoU to further develop and validate this technology and transfer it to a suitable Industrial partner to manufacture and market the kit to the general public.

Ovarian cancer is the seventh most common cancer and eighth leading cause of cancer associated death in women. The number of new cases worldwide in 2020 was 314000 while in India it was 44000; the number of deaths due to ovarian cancer in 2020 was 207000 globally while in India it was 32077 [the deaths include cases diagnosed in earlier years]. It is therefore a silent killer since most patients do not have any symptoms in the early stage or have non-specific symptoms which are usually ignored, resulting in most patients presenting in advanced stages of the disease. Additionally, early detection of ovarian cancer has not been possible due to lack of reliable markers or diagnostic tests.

The MoU towards this collaboration was signed on 29th July 2021 by Dr Selvaluxmi, Director, Cancer Institute, and Prof. Ravindra Gettu, Dean Industrial Consultancy and Sponsored Research, IIT Madras, the lead investigators Dr. V.V. Raghavendra Sai, Associate Professor (Biomedical Engineering), Department of Applied Mechanics, IIT Madras, and Dr. T. Rajkumar, Professor and Head, Department of Molecular Oncology, Cancer Institute [WIA]

Under funding from the Department of Science and Technology, Govt. of India, the Department of Molecular Oncology at the Cancer Institute [WIA] had undertaken research to identify proteins which can be detected in the blood which can help in the diagnosis of epithelial ovarian cancers, which accounts for over 90% of the ovarian cancers.

Speaking about the key focus of this collaboration, Dr. T. Rajkumar, Professor and Head, Department of Molecular Oncology, Cancer Institute, said, “Our research to identify early diagnosis biomarkers for ovarian cancer used blood samples from 138 ovarian cancer patients, 20 patients with benign ovarian cancers and 238 healthy subjects. The study used high end proteomics [Tandem Mass Tag (TMT) based quantitative analysis by high resolution mass spectrometry] for initial identification of proteins which were differentially expressed in epithelial ovarian cancers. There were over 507 blood proteins which were expressed differently between healthy subjects and epithelial ovarian cancer patients. A two-stage validation was then undertaken.

21 of the 507 proteins in blood that were found to be expressed at different levels were taken up for validation using an advanced technique called Quantibody array.

In the 2nd stage, 9 proteins found to be expressed at different levels between healthy subjects and epithelial ovarian cancer patients were assessed using sandwich ELISA for each individual protein.

Highlighting the unique aspects of this collaboration, Dr. V.V. Raghavendra Sai, Associate Professor (Biomedical Engineering), Department of Applied Mechanics, IIT Madras, said, “This gives us an excellent opportunity to work closely with the clinicians towards a deeper understanding of the bottlenecks on the clinical diagnosis and gain from this rich experience to develop robust systems. The clinicians also will have an avenue to see the potential of the latest technological developments and guide us to effectively tailor them to meet the needs. The state-of-the-art high throughput systems, available only in the centralized diagnostic laboratories for screening for disease markers, are limited by the infrastructure, cost, access and sometimes sensitivity. We aim to realize a cutting-edge table-top customizable diagnostic system that can help in decentralization of the diagnosis and bring a paradigm shift in the way the disease diagnosis is done currently.”

Using the ELISA assays, a combination of 5 markers (CA125, IGFBP2, SPP1, TSP1 and ADI) showed 90.24% sensitivity and 94.87% specificity. This assay of 5 markers has the potential for early diagnosis of epithelial ovarian cancers. A patent application has been filed. The research has been published in the Journal of Proteomics [2020]. The collaboration with IIT Madras will help develop a single point of care device [instead of doing 5 ELISA reactions] which can help in faster and cheaper early diagnosis. This is not for screening purposes at this point of time”.

On the other hand, IIT Madras has received funding from Indo-German Science and Technology Centre (IGSTC), DST- Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) and Indo-US Science and Technology forum (IUSSTF) to develop point-of-care diagnostic platforms for pathogen detection and disease diagnosis. Novel diagnostic device technologies for important diseases specific to India. In particular, tuberculosis and COVID-19 are at the pre-clinical validation stage.

Both Institutions will establish a review board and will obtain the necessary ethical clearances to evaluate and review the progress arising from this collaboration. The Cancer Institute (WIA) at Adyar is a comprehensive cancer centre with a hospital, a Research centre, a Centre for preventive oncology, Epidemiology and Cancer Registry and a College of Oncological Sciences. Its Research centre is engaged in research and development in Molecular Oncology and are further involved in identifying biomarkers for early diagnosis, prognosis and in the development of newer therapeutics in the field of Oncology.

The Key Outcomes envisaged from this collaboration include:

A· Point of care device for early diagnosis of epithelial ovarian cancers

A· A cost-effective and fast method of analysis, using only blood sample allowing out-patient diagnosis.

A· Additional areas of collaboration in the pipeline including early diagnosis of breast cancer [patent filed by Cancer Institute [WIA] and awaiting publication of the scientific data] and development of a nano-formulation of a peptide [discovered by the team in Cancer Institute for targeting an aggressive bone cancer called Ewing’s sarcoma, patent filed and data published]

CHENNAI, 22nd July 2021: National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL), a joint initiative of IITs and IISc, has launched new courses on Electric Vehicles and Renewable Energy, Design for IoT, Business and Sustainable Development, for the July 2021 Semester through the SWAYAM platform.

NPTEL courses give an opportunity for students to learn from the comfort of their home. The enrolments for July – Dec 2021 Semester have already commenced. The Last Date to enroll for the first set of NPTEL courses is 2nd August 2021.

The courses are taught by the faculty from IITs and IISc. Learners can enroll for NPTEL courses through https://swayam.gov.in/NPTEL.

NPTEL offers more than 500 courses completely free of cost to learners across the country in online mode. The possibility for anyone to learn anywhere and anytime has made the teaching-learning process more student-centered, and innovative. This online mode of education has also proved invaluable in the COVID-19 pandemic era.

Highlighting the unique aspects of NPTEL, Prof. Vignesh Muthuvijayan, NPTEL Coordinator at IIT Madras, said, “SWAYAM-NPTEL is currently working with more than 4,000 educational institutions in engineering, arts, science, commerce, and management across the country. Students and faculty from these institutions take up NPTEL courses to upgrade their knowledge and skills. Some of the popular courses on NPTEL platform include Data Science for Engineers, courses on programming in Python, C, C++, Introduction to Machine Learning, Soft skills, Project Planning and Control, among others.”

NPTEL offers certification courses through the MOOCs format. Learners must watch videos online, submit assignments on a weekly/monthly basis and can register for an optional proctored final exam. There is a nominal fee charged towards the in-person proctored exam for the certification. Students can request for transfer of credits once they clear the NPTEL certification exam, if it is approved by the educational institute they are affiliated with.

A wide variety of courses are available on NPTEL platform across Engineering, Humanities, Basic Sciences, and Management, etc. NPTEL has received more than 1.4 crore enrolments till date. NPTEL videos have received more than one billion views so far and NPTEL channels on YouTube have more than 3.1 million subscribers.

In order to streamline the efforts of learners and to guide them to obtain expertise in an area, NPTEL has initiated the concept of ‘Domain Certification.’ A domain comprises a set of core and elective NPTEL courses. There are no additional charges/fees involved in obtaining domain certification. There are 51 domains across 12 disciplines available now and 85 learners have completed domain certification from NPTEL till date.

Age has never been a barrier for taking up courses through NPTEL. Mr. Harshwardhan Patil, a 15-year-old student from Savitribai Phule High School, Nanded, Maharashtra, is one of the youngest NPTEL learners and has completed five certification courses through NPTEL, namely Effective Writing, Soft Skills Development, Stress Management, Biochemistry, and English Language for Competitive Exams.

Ms. Singam Nirmala Devi, an NPTEL learner from Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh, said, “The knowledge I gained through the NPTEL course, ‘The joy of computing using python’ was very much helpful in getting a job as a software engineer in an MNC. Through the NPTEL courses, I was able to understand concepts of python easily and was able to answer questions asked in the interview.”

NPTEL was initiated by seven Indian Institutes of Technology (Bombay, Delhi, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Madras, Guwahati and Roorkee) along with the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore in 2003. NPTEL is the largest provider of MOOCs in India today, with a credible proctored certification exam that clearly qualifies and differentiates the learners who do these courses.

CHENNAI, 19th July 2021: Indian Institute of Technology Madras and Capgemini, a multinational IT firm, are hosting a competition seeking Innovative Ideas in ‘Engineering Technologies’ from Polytechnic College Students of Tamil Nadu.

The Centre for Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CSIE), which focuses on teaching and research related to social enterprise in India, is coordinating the competition, which is being held in online mode. The last date for submission of ideas is 21st August 2021.

The Competition supports polytechnic students to come up with ideas that will result in livelihood enhancement among farmers, and artisan communities. Their ideas will be converted into technologies for their livelihood promotion.

The top two innovative ideas will be awarded prize money of Rs. 50,000 each and also will receive mentor support from CSIE and IIT Madras Faculty for their further prototype development.

Highlighting the unique aspects of this competition, Prof. R Nagarajan, Project Coordinator, Centre for Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CSIE) – IIT Madras, said, “An alumni-driven initiative, CSIE@IITM focuses on promoting social and entrepreneurship through various incentives and activities. IDEA SPARK, in particular, has been very successful over the years in motivating college students to ideate and innovate in this context.”

Second and Third year Polytechnic College students from Tamil Nadu are eligible to participate. The maximum number of students allowed per group is four. There can be any number of groups and ideas from an Institution. Ideas related to IoT, IT & AI will not be accepted.

All participants will be given a participation certificate. The students can submit their ideas by filling the Registration form available at the IDEA SPARK page in CSIE’s official website – https://csie.iitm.ac.in.

Further information can be obtained by writing to subaramesh.9@gmail.com.

The unique aspects of the Competition include:

– The competition focuses on uplift of the Farmer/Artisanal Community. Hence, it works to promote Engineering Technologies which could bring in livelihood opportunities for these communities and pave the way for more employment opportunities.

– The winning Ideas will also be adapted as Technologies.

– Apart from Prize money, free mentorship support will be provided for the top 2 winning entries for their product advancement.

CHENNAI, 16th July 2021: Indian Institute of Technology Madras’ Team Avishkar Hyperloop has made rapid strides since it became the debut finalist and the only Asian team to qualify for the finals of SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition 2019, a global contest organized by SpaceX, the American aerospace manufacturer. It was one of the Top 21 teams out of more than 1,600 teams participating globally in this event.

Despite the challenges from the pandemic and the lockdowns, the 40 students of Team Avishkar collaborated on this Hyperloop pod development from their homes to completely revamp the pods’ sub-systems with scalable and efficient technologies. In the past few months, they have manufactured a Hyperloop Pod Prototype and tested the novel technology.

The students’ hard work has enabled Team Avishkar Hyperloop to qualify for the European Hyperloop Week, being held in Valencia, Spain, from 19 to 25 July 2021. The team will participate virtually due to the pandemic-related travel restrictions.

A demonstration video of the Hyperloop Pod Developed by Team Avishkar can be downloaded from the Following link – https://fromsmash.com/Avishkar-Hyperloop-Pod-Demo

A Video Byte of Team Avishkar explaining the Hyperloop Pod in English Language can be downloaded from the following link – https://fromsmash.com/Avishkar-Video-Bite-English

A Video Byte of Team Avishkar explaining the Hyperloop Pod in Hindi Language can be downloaded from the following link – https://fromsmash.com/Avishkar-Video-Byte-Hindi

A Video Byte of Team Avishkar explaining the Hyperloop Pod in Tamil Language can be downloaded from the following link – https://fromsmash.com/Avishkar-Video-Bite-Tamil

Avishkar Hyperloop is the student team from Centre For Innovation (CFI), IIT Madras, which is working on an indigenous design and development of a self-propelled, completely autonomous Hyperloop Pod in India. The team is working with a vision to develop technologies for future modes of high-speed transportation with applications in various fields including Defence, Logistics and Aerospace Industry, among others.

Hyperloop has been a buzzword in India for the last few years. Several companies have proposed routes like Mumbai-Pune and Chandigarh-Amritsar. After an initial study, Team Avishkar is working on a detailed study of energy, costs, demand and other business aspects for a Hyperloop corridor between Bangalore and Chennai to assess the economic feasibility of Hyperloop in India.

Team Avishkar estimates the travel time between the city pair to reduce to a mere 30-minute ride from the current six hours journey by car or train.

Highlighting the unique aspects of the Pod developed this year, despite the pandemic related challenges, S.R. Chakravarthy, Faculty Advisor, Avishkar Hyperloop, said, “This is an exciting outcome in trying times, where the students have shown their mettle and verve in accomplishing against odds. Nowhere have I seen a student group clock so much IP material on hyperloop in such a short time. It holds great promise for India.”

Hyperloop is the 5th mode of transportation, a high-speed train that travels in a near-vacuum tube. The reduced air resistance allows the capsule inside the tube to reach speeds of more than 1000 km/h. Mr. Elon Musk proposed the idea of Hyperloop to the world in 2013 through a whitepaper – ‘Hyperloop Alpha.’

More than a competition, the European Hyperloop Week is a confluence of student teams, start-ups, and companies working in the Hyperloop domain. It will act as a boiling pot for discussions on the reliability, scalability, and feasibility of this future technology. The competition is being organized by four well-known European student teams in partnership with companies such as Virgin Hyperloop and AECOM.

Deloitte India is supporting Avishkar Hyperloop this year. With its’ vision to support innovation and technologies that drive sustainable societal change, Deloitte India has provided crucial support to the team’s efforts towards the European Hyperloop Week competition.

Highlighting the improvements made in this years’ pod, Mr. Neel Balar, Team Avishkar Lead and Third Year Student, Department of Engineering Design, IIT Madras, said, “Our research has yielded many technological breakthroughs such as the linear induction motor for propulsion, teams’ proprietary levitation technology, and contactless magnetic braking system, among others. Looking beyond the pod, the team is also focusing efforts on the design of the hyperloop infrastructure.”

Elaborating further, Mr. Kishan Thakkar, Team Avishkar Lead and Fourth Year Student, Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, IIT Madras, said, “Creating infrastructure such as tubes and pylons take about 70 per cent of the total budget of a Hyperloop corridor. Our research is focused mainly on reducing the cost of this infrastructure and adapting the Hyperloop to the needs of the Indian subcontinent. The team is truly pushing the frontiers of this technology to bring a sustainable future.”

For the latest third iteration of the design, most systems are based on entirely new and highly efficient technologies. For instance, friction braking requires mechanical contact and causes wear. But now we’ve moved to contactless Eddy Current braking mechanism. The Linear Induction Motor (LIM) and custom inverter for the LIM has been designed by us from scratch to replace the BLDC motors for propulsion.

CHENNAI, 12th July 2021: Indian Institute of Technology Madras Researchers have developed an Artificial Intelligence-based Mathematical Model to identify cancer-causing alterations in cells. The algorithm uses a relatively unexplored technique of leveraging DNA composition to pinpoint genetic alterations responsible for cancer progression.

Cancer is caused due to the uncontrolled growth of cells driven mainly by genetic alterations. In recent years, high-throughput DNA Sequencing has revolutionized the area of cancer research by enabling the measurement of these alterations. However, due to the complexity and size of these sequencing datasets, pinpointing the exact changes from the genomes of cancer patients is notoriously difficult.

This research was led by Prof. B. Ravindran, Head, RBCDSAI, and Mindtree Faculty Fellow IIT Madras and Dr. Karthik Raman, Faculty Member, Robert Bosch Centre for Data Science and AI (RBCDSAI), IIT Madras, and also the Coordinator, Centre for Integrative Biology and Systems Medicine (IBSE), IIT Madras. Mr. Shayantan Banerjee, a Master’s Student at IIT Madras, performed the experiments and analysed the data.

The results have been recently published in the reputed peer-reviewed International Journal Cancers.

Explaining the rationale behind this study, Prof. B. Ravindran, Head, Robert Bosch Centre for Data Science and AI (RBCDSAI), IIT Madras, said, “One of the major challenges faced by cancer researchers involves the differentiation between the relatively small number of ‘driver’ mutations that enable the cancer cells to grow and the large number of ‘passenger’ mutations that do not have any effect on the progression of the disease.”

The Practical Applications of this Research include:

– Given their vital role in tumour progression and development, computational prioritization of cancer driver mutations is an active area of research. Understanding the underlying mechanism of these alterations will help identify the most appropriate treatment strategy for a patient in an approach known as ‘precision oncology’

– Tailoring treatments, not only to a specific illness but also to a specific person’s genetic make-up is challenging and requires extensive cataloging of the “driver” variants of interest.

The researchers hope that the driver mutations predicted through their mathematical model will ultimately help discover potentially novel drug targets and will advance the notion of prescribing the “right drug to the right person at the right time.”

Elaborating on the need for developing this technique, Dr. Karthik Raman, Associate Professor, Department of Biotechnology, Bhupat and Jyoti Mehta School of Biosciences, IIT Madras, said, “In most of the previously published techniques researchers typically analysed DNA sequences from large groups of cancer patients, comparing sequences from cancer as well as normal cells and determined whether a particular mutation occurred more often in cancer cells than random. However, this ‘frequentist’ approach often missed out on relatively rare driver mutations.”

Highlighting how this Algorithm will impact cancer treatment in the days to come, Dr. Karthik Raman said, “Detecting driver mutations, particularly rare ones, is an exceptionally difficult task, and the development of such methods can ultimately accelerate early diagnoses and the development of personalised therapies.”

In this study, the researchers decided to look at this problem from a different perspective. The main goal was to discover patterns in the DNA sequences – made up of four letters, or bases, A, T, G and C surrounding a particular site of alteration.

The underlying hypothesis was that these patterns would be unique to individual types of mutations – drivers and passengers, and therefore could be modelled mathematically to distinguish between the two classes. Using sophisticated AI techniques, the researchers developed a novel prediction algorithm, NBDriver and tested its performance on several open-source cancer mutation datasets.

Highlighting on the performance of the algorithm, Dr. Ravindran added, “Our model could distinguish between well-studied drivers and passenger mutations from cancer genes with an accuracy of 89%. Furthermore, combining the predictions from NBDriver and three others commonly used driver prediction algorithms resulted in an accuracy of 95%, significantly outperforming existing models.”

Dr. Karthik Raman added, “Interestingly, NBDriver could accurately identify 85% of the rare driver mutations from patients diagnosed with Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM), a particularly aggressive type of cancer affecting the brain or spine.”

NBDriver is available publicly and can be used to obtain predictions on any user-defined set of mutations. In short, given a new mutation and its surrounding DNA makeup, one would be able to predict its class – driver or passenger.

The Next Steps of the RBCDSAI Research Team in this topic include:

– Developing an easy-to-use web interface that will enable cancer researchers to get predictions on their preferred set of variants.

– Further studies on the context of these mutations, and how they impact the evolution of cancer

– NBDriver will also be part of a broader cancer genomic sequence analysis “pipeline” being developed at RBCDSAI & IBSE

CHENNAI, 9th July 2021: IIT Madras Pravartak Technologies Foundation (IITM-PTF) is collaborating with Sony India Software Centre Pvt. Ltd. to conduct a National hackathon called ‘SAMVEDAN 2021 – Sensing Solutions for Bharat’ to inspire citizens to solve India-specific problems of societal interest using IoT Sensor Board.

This Grand Challenge Competition is based on the Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation’s SPRESENSEa„¢ Board, which participants can use for this challenge. Registration has already commenced on July 1st, 2021 for this challenge, which is open to all Indian nationals residing in India.

Calling upon Indians from all over the country to take part in this hackathon, Prof. Ashutosh Sharma, Secretary of Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, said, “The future is all about a tight convergence of physical systems with communication, computing, information and data gathering, machine sensing, autonomous decisions and actions and control. Thus sensors of all sorts will play a vital role in the Cyber-Physical Systems.”

Further, Prof. Ashutosh Sharma said, “The National mission on interdisciplinary cyber physical systems aims to develop an ecosystem to solve problems of National importance. This grand challenge competition is an effective method to identify, nurture and commercialise solutions for them.”

Winners become eligible for prize money as well as an entrepreneurial support scheme by IIT Madras Pravartak Technologies Foundation. The participation of academics as well as industry personnel is also welcome.

Highlighting the unique aspects of ‘SAMVEDAN 2021,’ Event Coordinator Prof. V. Kamakoti, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, IIT Madras, said, “IITM-PTF is committed not only in identifying innovative solutions and talent across the country in the area of sensor-based solutions, but also providing a platform to successful start-ups that could solve societal problems of national importance. SAMVEDAN is one of the platforms to enable this. IITM-PTF plans to offer Entrepreneur-In-Residence scholarship for the top team for a year which will enable them to nurture it into a start-up.”

Speaking about this collaboration with IIT Madras, Mr. Masayuki Toriumi, Managing Director, Sony India Software Centre Pvt. Ltd said, “Sony is expanding into the Indian market in various fields, including not only electronics products such as televisions, but also entertainment businesses such as movies and music.”

Further, Mr. Masayuki Toriumi said, “SISC supports Sony’s business in the area of software development, and we are very pleased to be able to contribute to India’s problems and challenges by using Sony’s leading-edge technology, India’s excellent software engineering resources, and the ecosystem involving the public and private sectors. I hope that more and more people will take advantage of this unique opportunity to participate in the project and come up with innovative ideas that will represent Amazing India.”.

A team with maximum of three members can register for the grand challenge. The challenge will be held in three stages quarterfinals, semi-finals and the finals. 75 ideas will be selected for the quarter finals, and among them, 25 best ideas will be selected for semi-finals.

There will be seven finalists with prizes for every finalist. Prizes worth 3 Lakhs will be awarded to the best teams. Further, each quarter finalist will be provided with a SPRESENSETM board free of cost by Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation through IITM Pravartak Technologies Foundation.

CHENNAI, 28th June 2021: Indian Institute of Technology Madras is launching a new initiative to showcase its research to the broad scientific community and policymakers. It will highlight the major research initiatives being pursued in emerging areas of global interest.

While the first webinar under the ‘IITM Research Initiatives Spotlight’ (IRIS) is scheduled to be conducted on 1st July 2021 on the topic of ‘Advanced Materials’, the first edition of the series will conclude in October 2021.

The webinars will showcase several research projects belonging to 21 identified technology clusters that have been initiated with support from the Government of India as an ‘Institute of Eminence’ (IoE) scheme.

Speaking about this initiative, Prof. Bhaskar Ramamurthi, Director, IIT Madras, said, “Research is the centrepiece of new initiatives launched at IIT Madras as an ‘Institute of Eminence.’ More than 300 faculty members have formed multi-disciplinary teams and identified cutting-edge challenges to explore over the next few years.”

The outcomes envisaged from IRIS include:

– Create awareness in the scientific community regarding the research landscape at IIT Madras

– Outreach to the broader public to explain research themes of national and international relevance

– Attract bright students to pursue graduate research at IIT Madras

– Deepen international engagement and participation in IIT Madras research activities

Highlighting the objectives behind launching the IRIS webinar series, Prof. Raghunathan Rengaswamy, Dean (Global Engagement), IIT Madras, said, “IIT Madras is reaching out to the international as well as the Indian scientific community and the public to engage with them and describe to them major research initiatives that have been launched by the Institute. Research outcomes from these projects have the potential to catapult IIT Madras to the next level of academic excellence, thereby becoming an institute on par with the best universities in the world.”

Prof. T. Pradeep, Padma Shri Awardee, and Institute Professor, Department of Chemistry, IIT Madras, will speak during the inaugural lecture of the IRIS Initiative on 1st July 2021 about research initiatives on ‘Molecular Materials and Functions,’ being undertaken to create a globally-recognized centre focusing on synthesis and study of molecular materials.

In addition, Dr. Madivala G. Basavaraj, Associate Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, IIT Madras, will also speak about the research centre working on soft and biological matter, which will focus on structure and rheology.

The IRIS series will provide an opportunity to engage in conversations with eminent faculty from IIT Madras and other international researchers, and identify opportunities for collaborations in those research areas.

Some of the research areas that will be showcased in the IRIS Series include:

– Quantum science and technology

– AI and Data Science

– Renewable energy and materials for energy

– Autonomous systems

– Advanced manufacturing

– Medicine and biology, medical technology

The ‘Institute of Eminence’ (IoE) Scheme was launched by the Government of India to empower Higher Educational Institutions and help them become world-class teaching and research institutions. IIT Madras was selected as an ‘Institute of Eminence’ in September 2019.

A highlight of the IoE initiative is that public institutions selected as ‘Institute of Eminence’ are provided financial assistance of up to Rs. 1,000 crore, over a period of five years, to help them emerge as world-class institutions. In addition, they will be encouraged to admit foreign students and recruit foreign faculty.

CHENNAI, 23rd June 2021: Indian Institute of Technology Madras has launched a ‘Centre for Research on Start-Ups and Risk Financing’ (CREST) to provide academic and thought leadership in innovation, entrepreneurship and risk capital.

It would also create a unique world-class data repository on Indian start-ups and ventures to address a major hurdle for engaging in high-quality research. This information resource would be made accessible for researchers and policymakers that can result in top-tier publications

With risk capital investment in Indian technology start-ups touching $68 Billion (a‚¹4,76,000 crore approx) in the period between 2011-20, academic research and thought leadership can play an important role in sustaining and furthering this growth in entrepreneurship. Insights and evidence from the rigorous academic research would support policy-making as well as increase the effectiveness of managerial and investment decision-making in entrepreneurship.

Delivering the Inaugural Keynote Lecture of CREST on Tuesday (22nd June 2021) on ‘Cultivating societal trust can unlock India’s Entrepreneurial Potential,’ Prof. Tarun Khanna, Jorge Paulo Lemann Professor, Harvard Business School, said, “Entrepreneurs with great ideas in developing countries cannot rely on the usual trust building foundations – law, regulatory oversight, and government projects, as they might in the developed world. Assuming the existence of these phantom factors predisposes ventures not to succeed at scale. Instead, smart entrepreneurs in these countries need a mindset shift, focusing not only on creating but also the conditions to create these.”

Further, Prof. Tarun Khanna said, “There is a need to build trust between Scientists and business leaders. Amazing technology is coming out of the labs but the condition to get the maximum out of such innovations is not there.”

The Vision of CREST include:

– To be globally recognized as a leading centre of research engaged in scholarly research in the areas of creation, development, and financing of innovation, start-ups, and entrepreneurship

– Cross country collaborative research, resulting in the use of unique data sets on start-ups and venture capital that increases the chances of breakthrough findings

– Evidence synthesis on the start-up and innovation ecosystem to inform policymakers and practitioners

Delivering the Presidential Remarks of the event, Prof. Bhaskar Ramamurthi, Director, IIT Madras, said, “These research initiatives we (IIT Madras) are creating, almost all of them, have very strong international collaborative connections. We are knitting together partnerships with leading groups across the world. We want to have strong flow of people and ideas. We will have the interactions in online mode till the pandemic gets over.”

The key mission of CREST would be to engage in scholarly research encompassing the areas of innovation, entrepreneurship, and risk capital. The data repository being developed on innovation, venturing and risk capital will create the infrastructure to carry out high-quality research. The creation of entrepreneurship specific language models will facilitate a better understanding of the entities in the ecosystem while facilitating the use of latest research in AI, ML to generate new insights.

Providing an overview of CREST, Prof. A. Thillai Rajan, Principal Investigator, CREST, IIT Madras, and Faculty, Department of Management Studies, IIT Madras, said, “The role of higher education institutions in the area of start-ups and entrepreneurship is four-fold. The first is the creation of intellectual property that can be commercialized through start-ups. The second is to train for entrepreneurship through various formal and unstructured programs. The third is to provide a nurturing environment for start-ups by setting up incubators and providing access to various facilities to young start-ups. The fourth is to generate insights through rigorous research that can inform and guide policy making and practice.”

Further, Prof. Thillai Rajan said, “While substantial progress has been achieved in the first three, much needs to be done on the fourth. CREST is a big step in that direction. The timing cannot be more apt. Start-ups have been playing a very critical role in different walks of life during the pandemic period. Therefore, a research centre that helps to enhance the success of start-ups through appropriate policy formulation or managerial decision making is even more relevant now than even before.”

Prof. P. Krishna Prasanna, Department of Management Studies, IIT Madras, Dr. R.K. Amit, Associate Professor, Department of Management Studies, IIT Madras, also spoke on the occasion.

A confluence of factors has resulted in India becoming one of the key centres globally for start-ups and innovation. Innovation, venturing, and entrepreneurship is getting increasing attention from policymakers. These three areas of economic activity are expected to play a key role in the journey to become a $5 Trillion economy apart from strengthening India’s position as an innovation country.

Because of these, there has been a fillip to start-up activity in India. Formulation of start-up policies, setting up of incubation centres, growth in investments and focus on entrepreneurship in academic curricula have led to an increase in the number of start-ups.

CREST would also push for use of evidence to guide policymaking. CREST would synthesize existing evidence as well as generate new evidence-based on unique data sets from organizations in the start-up ecosystem such as incubators, investor networks, government missions, and so on. Such grounded research can help to generate novel findings, that are likely to interest high impact journals

The Current Projects and Studies of CREST include:

– Book Project – Shifting Orbits: Decoding the trajectory of the Indian Start-up Ecosystem (Thillai Rajan A, IIT Madras, Srivardhini K. Jha, IIM Bangalore, Joffi Thomas, IIM Kozhikode, Rohan Chinchwadkar, IIT Bombay)

– Research Studies-

o Role and Effect of Corporate Venture Capital Investments: Evidence from Indian Corporations (Arushi Gupta, IIT Madras)

o Angel investors in India: Does the start-up stage matter? (A. Niroopa Rani, IIT Madras)

o Performance of Start-up Incubators: Do host organizations matter? (Abhishek Gupta, IIT Madras)

o Entrepreneurship at the Grass Roots: Challenges faced by Rural Women Entrepreneurs of Tamil Nadu (Aarthi Ramachandran, IIT Madras)