‘Startups will be important vehicles for tech transfer from lab to industry’

“Startups working in deep technology and other areas are emerging. For R&D institutions like NCL, startups will be important vehicles in performing technology translation from the lab to the industry,” said Lele, who also shared the institute’s vision plan for 2020-2030.

The premier chemistry lab will focus on fewer but important research areas with energy and healthcare remaining key in the upcoming years, Lele said. To mark the foundation day, Subroto Bagchi, chairman, Odisha Skill Development Authority, Odisha, spoke on ‘NCL at 100: Building memories for the Future’.

The Covid-19 pandemic brought collaborations among numerous Indian research institutions and set the ball rolling at a scale like never before, experts said.
“Research and development across institutions, sectors and locations are happening at a pace like never before. Science and technology, too, will be significantly affected by digitisation and we must be aware,” he said.

CSIR chief Shekhar Mande said NCL has played a critical role and remains among the finest institutions in chemistry.

Lele suggested that more dedicated research be taken up across three areas — healthcare, agri-technology and allied services and Industry 5.0 — and that India has great potential.

“We have not put enough of our heads into disease biology, disease diagnostics, drug discovery and delivery but there is potential,” he said.

For science and research to keep up to the society’s needs, there will be a need for an ecosystem, hiring of the best of scientists from around the world, enabling mechanisms like training students and having the right governance practices, he added.