ISRO technology incubation centre set up at NIT Tiruchy

Inaugurating the centre through video conferencing, Sivan said, “This first-of-its-kind incubation centre in southern India aims at developing innovative indigenous technologies that could be used for future ISRO missions and help to significantly cut down the cost.” The centre would focus on incubating startups to build applications and products in tandem with the industry, he added.

Addressing the gathering, Dr Mini Shaji Thomas, NIT-T Director, said there was a golden opportunity available for the student community across the southern region to innovate and develop a commercially-viable product with the support of ISRO scientists and thereby contribute to the Indian space programme.

S-TIC is a novel concept conceived by the ISRO to tie-up with stakeholders spread across academia, industry and research institutions in different regions of the country. S-TIC will provide projects of importance on ongoing and futuristic ISRO programmes to research, post graduate and under graduate students.

“This is expected to inculcate the much-required research culture among the student community. The final year students will be exposed to the challenges faced by ISRO and the proof of concept or prototype developed by them will be validated through partner industries,” said P V Venkatakrishnan, Director, Capacity Building Programme Office (CBPO), ISRO- HQ.

The centre is expected to bring the industry, academia and ISRO under one umbrella to contribute towards the research and development (R&D) initiatives relevant to the country’s space programme.

“The products developed by students will then be validated and tested in the ISRO facilities. Once they are deemed qualified, the products can be inducted inthe ongoing ISRO projects,” he said.

“Through this, we hope to motivate students to think differently to initiate start-up enterprises, which can generate employment. The Tiruchy centre will encourage space-related research activities in southern region,” Venkatakrishnan said.