‘IMPRINT India’, a Pan-IIT and IISc joint initiative to develop a
roadmap for research to solve major engineering and technology challenges in
ten technology domains relevant to India will be launched by the President of
India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee tomorrow (November 5, 2015) at Rashtrapati
Bhavan. The launch will be done at a function being held as part of the
Visitor’s Conference.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will release the IMPRINT India brochure
and hand over the first copy to the President of India. Union Minister of
Human Resource Development Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani will also address the
gathering.
The idea of launching ‘IMPRINT India’ originated during the
conference of Chairmen, Board of Governors and Directors of Indian Institutes
of Technology convened by the President at Rashtrapati Bhavan on August 22,
2014. It is based on the Prime Minister’s suggestion that research done by
institutions of national importance must be linked with immediate requirements
of the society at large.
The objectives of this initiative is to (1) identify areas of
immediate relevance to society requiring innovation, (2) direct scientific
research into identified areas, (3) ensure higher funding support for research
into these areas and (4) measure outcomes of the research effort with reference
to impact on the standard of living in the rural/urban areas.
IMPRINT
India will focus on ten themes with each to be coordinated by one IIT/IISc,
namely:-
(a) Health Care - IIT Kharagpur,
(b) Computer Science and ICT – IIT Kharagpur,
(c) Advance Materials – IIT Kanpur,
(d) Water Resources and River systems – IIT Kanpur,
(e) Sustainable Urban Design – IIT Roorkee,
(f) Defence – IIT Madras,
(g) Manufacturing – IIT Madras,
(h) Nano-technology Hardware- IIT Bombay,
(i) Environmental Science and Climate Change – IISc, Bangalore and
(j) Energy Security – IIT Bombay.
The ten coordinating institutions have done extensive consultations
and arrived at specific themes in each area of research that has immediate
social relevance. IMPRINT India is being launched during the Visitor’s
Conference so that wide discussion can be held amongst the academic community
leading to further scientific collaboration between various institutions in
these areas. The top research community from across Central Universities, IITs, NITs, IISc,
Bangalore, IISERs, IIITs, NIPERs, NIFT, IIEST, Shibpur, RGIPT, Rae Bareli,
RGNIYD, Sreperumbudur, School of Planing and Architecture Bhopal and New Delhi and senior government officials will attend the function when
‘IMPRINT India’ will be launched as well as the Visitor’s Conference where
follow up discussions will be held.
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AKT/NT/SBP