On 28th June 2021, IIT Bombay Research Park Foundation celebrated the completion of 5 successful years since its inception in 2016. What had then started with a vision to bring industry and academia together has been thriving today on maturing science and technology. The virtual event witnessed the participation of leaders not just from the nation but also beyond. The Chief Guest for the event was Prof. Anil Sahasrabudhe, Chairman of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and he emphasised the necessity of establishing Research Parks. The Director of IIT Bombay, Prof. Subhasis Chaudhuri was delighted to welcome the galaxy of people who had come together for the celebrations and invited collaborators to join in furthering the state of art in all the technology areas. Mr Brian Darmody, CEO of the Association of University Research Parks (AURP) highlighted the evolution of Research Parks to Innovation Districts and shared his decades of on-ground experience. The pioneer of nurturing industry-academia culture in India, Prof Ashok Jhunjhunwala touched upon critical approaches that need to be taken to bolster the industry-academia relationship in the country and beyond.
A power-packed panel discussion on ‘Redefining Collaborations: The Role of Research Parks’ gave the attendees key insights into the academic, government, and industry view of Research Parks. The panellist included Prof Milind Atrey, Dean R&D at IIT Bombay who shared his experience on challenges in industry-academia partnership and ways to address common problem definitions especially by having the Research Parks at the campus. Ms Harshbeena Zaveri, Vice President at NRB Bearings, emphasised the gravity of having a research centre and sustainable manufacturing. The third panellist, Dr Michael Ho, Partnership Director at Taiwan Tech Arena, touched upon areas where Indian Research Parks could contribute. He has worked closely in the industry-academia-government partnership model in Taiwan, a global leader in technology innovation. Dr Nitin Kareer, Additional Chief Secretary, Revenue & Forest Department, Government of Maharashtra has been mentoring the Research Park and expressed regrets about his absence as a panelist.
In all, 95 participants included industry leaders, clients & associates of the Research Park, functionaries and faculty of IIT, Student Council members, and more. The event concluded with a hope for many more research collaborations to happen in the coming years.
