Vice-Chancellor Prateek Sharma unveiled ambitious plans at the CIMSIR-DTU Conference.
Delhi Technological University (DTU) has announced plans to establish a multi-disciplinary centre for Community Development and Research at its campus.
Vice-Chancellor Prateek Sharma made the announcement during the Conference for Industrial Multidisciplinary Socio-Technical Innovation Research (CIMSIR-DTU).
“The idea behind this initiative is to identify the problems faced by society and categorize them into minor, major, and final-year projects, allowing students to gain practical exposure and apply their knowledge to provide solutions,” stated Vice-Chancellor Sharma.
The initiative will involve collaboration between academia, industry, and society, with stakeholders providing problem statements, specifications, funding details, and market studies for evaluation. A team of technical experts and industry professionals will then prepare detailed proposals, leading to the signing of Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) between the research centre and sponsoring agencies.
Conference convenor and DTU professor Rajiv Kapoor announced that MoUs with 13 industries worth approximately ₹1.86 crore and expressions of interest from 7 other entities have already been received.
Speaking at the conference, Maruti Suzuki CTO, CV Raman said, “There is a need to identify problems and find sustainable solutions. A key issue is investment, and this platform brings together all key stakeholders.”
The programme aims to implement and amalgamate schemes such as Startup-India, Make-In-India, Design-In-India and Smart City initiatives through indigenous research, development and economical product design to strengthen product development in India.
In a video message to the attendees, CEO & MD of Brahmos Aerospace, Atul Rane said that the conference aimed to promote self-reliance. “This conference is what India needs to move forward and ensure timely delivery of solutions to those who need them,” he said.
National Education Technology Forum Chairman and former All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) Director Anil Sahasrabudhe commended the initiative. It stressed the need for the industry to step up and actively collaborate with academia through sponsored projects and internships. “We all talk about corporate social responsibility (CSR), but what about Educational Social Responsibility (ESR)!”
The proposed centre will witness the involvement of full-time PhD scholars in R&D product design, joint supervision by industry collaborators and professors, dedicated purchase and accounts teams, and timely execution of product designs. The emphasis will be placed on patenting and commercializing the developed products to drive economic growth and create job opportunities.
