DRDO decides to invite faculty from colleges for collaborative research

DRDO decides to invite faculty from colleges for collaborative research

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) will invite teaching faculty from science and engineering colleges for carrying out research in its laboratories in collaboration with DRDO scientists.

This is part of its efforts to partner educational institutions for promoting research and coming up with products that will enhance the nation's defence capability, S. Vathsal, Director (Extramural Research and Intellectual Property Rights), DRDO, New Delhi, said here on Friday.

He was talking to reporters at Arunai Engineering College, where he had come to participate in the National Conference on Simulation, Modelling and Optimisation. Dr. Vathsal said the Defence Ministry was planning to enhance allocation for research and development.

DRDO would invite academics aged between 25-40. It would provide the seed money. They would be required to prove their research findings through patents and publications within a year.

Collaborations

DRDO was already collaborating on 265 projects with 88 educational institutions and universities. Such collaboration, hitherto confined to government educational institutions, would be extended to private institutions in future.

Dr. Vathsal said the DRDO was trying to enhance the number of patents obtained by Indian scientists. India did not figure among the top 10 nations with respect to the number of patents. It had about 5,000 to 6,000 patents. Patents held by the U.S. ran into several lakhs.

High cost of patents

The small number could be attributed to the very high cost of applying for a patent. Now the Technology Information Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC), Department of Science and Technology, had come forward to fund the efforts of universities, scientists and engineers in obtaining patents.

"We have about 10 to 15 success stories where the collaborative projects with universities have been useful in direct applications in the defence sector", he said, replying to a question on whether the collaborative projects had been useful to the country.

Dr. Vathsal said the country's technological development depended on forging a strong link among academic institutions, R&D laboratories and industry. Academic institutions should provide the manpower for research.

The labs would provide the facilities. And industry should manufacture the products developed.

"This link is very weak at present, and we are trying to strengthen it", he added.