IIT Indore, in one of its own kind of initiative, organized “Corporate and Industry Connect” (CIC) on August 20, 2022. Around 36 participants from 15 major industries from Indore, Pithampur, and nearby areas were invited for the event. This included Volvo Eicher, Force Motors, Case New Holland, Bridgestone, Crompton Greaves, JBM Auto, Rajratan Global Wire, TCS, Pratibha Syntex, EKA Mobility, IMA PG, Eicher Gears, Gufic BioSciences, PAR formulations, and TAFE.
The aim of the connect program was to find common areas of research, discuss problem statements, find economical & viable solutions, and foster long-term associations. Prof. Suhas S Joshi, Director, delivered the welcome address. Prof. Anand Parey, Dean, Alumni & Corporate Relations, and Prof. I.A. Palani, Dean, Research & Development were also present during the sessions.
Prof. Joshi, in his welcome address, said, “We have been following the neighbours’ first policy. Accordingly, we have reached out to R&D establishments, academic institutions in our neighbourhood. We have had brainstorming sessions with Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology (RRCAT), Soyabean Research Institute, Indore, Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal, and Central Institute for Agricultural Engineering, Bhopal, to undertake projects to provide technological solutions to farmers, and address agricultural related issues and forest sustainability. As a part of our commitment to the state of Madhya Pradesh, we have recently signed a MoU with Higher Technical Education of Madhya Pradesh to mentor the First Rank students in various branches of engineering from Government Engineering Colleges of Madhya Pradesh.”
He further added, “We have some of the best brains in the country. We would like to give them challenging problems to solve. We are conducting this brainstorming session to understand the technological roadmap of your industry and the technological challenges you are likely to face. We are eager to know how you think IIT Indore could assist you in your technological development.”
The invitees were briefed on the R&D activities of the Institute. Three panel discussions were held in the areas of auto manufacturing, auto parts, and pharma, IT & textile industries, with brainstorming sessions in their respective domains. Subsequently, Special Interest Groups (SIGs) were formed between the faculty members and industrialists, who will interact regularly to achieve common goals. Around 50 faculty members have expressed interest in collaborating with these industries. IIT Indore is planning to conduct more connect programs with industries in different areas in the future.