Anti-counterfeiting labels, digital preservation and restoration of cultural heritage, portable digital inverted microscopes and smart public transport toolkit are among 80 inventions that will be showcased at a two-day fair being organised by 23 Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).
Beginning Friday, "IInvenTiv" aims at creating holistic awareness around research and innovation work being done at the institutes. It also seeks to create collaborative avenues among state universities and institutes, industry and the IITs for better development and reach of the innovations at the grassroots level. The fair is being organised at IIT Delhi in commemoration of the 75th year of India's Independence, in line with the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav initiative.
"Among the themes identified for the fair are Defence and Aerospace, Healthcare (including devices and digital health), Environment and Sustainability, Clean Energy and Renewables (including Hydrogen and EV), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Blockchain technologies (including quantum computing), Smart Cities and Infrastructure (including smart mobility), Communication Technologies (including education and 5G)," a senior official said.
The IITs will showcase projects on diverse areas covering climate change, sustainability, smart city architecture, rural agriculture, affordable healthcare and drone technology, among others. Their objective is to promote innovations in line with the Make in India and Digital India initiatives and seek solutions for better reach and scalability of innovations that benefit the masses across regions.
"The event will also host administrators and students from institutions from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities for them to have a closer glimpse of the R&D ecosystem of IITs and, in turn, inculcate a similar innovation-driven outlook towards developing projects of national interest," a senior IIT Delhi official said.
"It will facilitate a comprehensive understanding of the requirements at the grassroots level in key areas such as agriculture, rural development, sanitation, resource management etc and engage them to develop innovations that make a positive impact on a larger section of society," the official added.
The selected projects will be presented before the audience in designated booths during the two-day mega event. Representatives from the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) and National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) will be present at the event.
(With PTI inputs)
