To meet the demands of technology transfer and protection of intellectual property, both the private and public sectors in the country have a need of at least 2,000 trained technology managers.
K Vijayaraghavan, Honorary President of the Society for Technology Management (STEM) said that in the public sector, where there are over a 100 national institutes involved in research and technology development, the immediate need is for 500.
Speaking ahead of the 10th annual summit of the only platform for technology transfer professionals in the country, Vijayaraghavan said that in the private sector also there has been a surge in innovation efforts in sectors such as pharma, seed, chemical, Biotechnology, IT, etc.
Across the country there are six innovation hubs — Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Faridabad, Kerala, Pune — where exciting development work was on in both the sectors plus through collaborations. There are an estimated 500 ventures ongoing in these centres. He estimated that nearly 1,500 professional technology managers are required to help them.
The two-day summit of STEM beginning in Hyderabad on November 26 will support technology transfer professionals in their endeavour to accelerate commercialisation of innovation. It will bring together professionals from both industry and academia. Policymakers, public funders and experts from abroad will also take part.
Vijayaraghavan, who is founder-director and Chairman of Sathguru Management Consultants, said since the amendment to the Indian Patents Act in 2005, which allowed product patents, there has been a surge. India has become a major recipient of technology through licensing as some IPR protection is provided. Similarly, the country is emerging as an exporter of technology. In the field of patent filing also India is ranked the sixth largest at present.
The STEM event will include a technology showcasing section where several leading research and development institutes and companies are expected to demonstrate their capabilities and expertise.
In the public sector a vast network of laboratories under the Departments of Defence, Atomic Energy, Biotechnology and Scientific and Industrial Research, are involved in technology development. Similarly, the Indian Institutes of Technology, BITS, some of the top universities and technical institutes generate technology.
The Department of Biotechnology decided to pump in Rs. 500 crore into a Regional Centre for Biotech with focus on life sciences in Faridabad recently. The decision of the NDA Government to create a huge fund for start-ups is bound to trigger more developments.
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