‘Stronger industry – academia efforts required  to support innovation’

Pune: Dr Rajendra Jagdale, Director General and Chief Executive Officer of Science and Technology Parks of India, on Thursday, said that innovation alone can drive the progress of a country the size of India and there is a need for more committed collaboration between industry and academia to encourage innovation that will address the needs of India’s people while serving the business interests of the industry.

Dr Jagdale was delivering the keynote address at the inaugural session of the one-day ‘Innovation Conclave’ of Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (MCCIA). He said that most research and innovation in the country is happening in isolation, though the innovators should actually be more receptive and sensitive to the needs of the society.

MCCIA President Pradeep Bhargava; Deenanath Kholkar, Vice President and Global Head of Analytics and Insights at TCS; Noor Naqshbandi, Programme Director, Private Sector Development, GIZ India; Chaman Lal Dhanda, Director, MSME Innovation Project, GIZ India; PM Parlewar, Director in the Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs),  Government of India and Prashant Girbane, Director General MCCIA were present at the occasion. 

Kholkar noted the initiatives TCS has launched in collaboration with academic institutions across the country.

Naqshbandi said the innovation culture in India should be based on the freedom to ask questions and to challenge the norm. “From a hierarchical system, India should move to the innovation culture where failures are accepted,” he said. 

PM Parlewar from the Ministry of MSMEs touched upon the provisions the government has made to encourage innovation put together by industry and academic institutions.

The inaugural session also witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between MCCIA and GIZ for innovations in the MSME sector and another one between GIZ and Tata Technologies for supporting innovations in the automobile and aerospace industry.

Pradeep Bhagava, in his welcome address, gave an overview about the importance of the industry-academia collaboration and urged the need to have collaboration with society as well.