IIT Kanpur's Technopark Marks 5 Years of Academia-Industry Success
In a significant milestone, Technopark@iitk, the Research and Technology Park of IIT Kanpur, commemorated its fifth anniversary. Since its inception in March 2019 as a non-profit Section 8 company, Technopark@iitk has become a leading research and development hub, fostering collaboration between academia and industry to drive innovation and technological advancements.
Prof. S Ganesh, Director of IIT Kanpur, expressed pride in the accomplishments, stating, "In a short span of time, we have achieved considerable success in getting research-focused companies to Kanpur, including some big names like Laurus Labs, and forge meaningful engagements with the academic community to accelerate the pace of innovation and drive tangible socio-economic impact".
The initiative aims to promote Industry-IIT Kanpur R&D collaborations by inviting research-driven industries to work closely with the academic community. Technopark@iitk provides a conducive environment for the co-development of cutting-edge technologies aligned with national priorities.
The facility, located within the IIT Kanpur campus and spanning 2.5 lakh square feet, offers modern amenities such as recreation facilities, cafeteria, meeting and conference rooms, and training rooms. Currently, over 65,000 square feet of space has been occupied by leading companies, including Laurus Labs Ltd., Meril Diagnostics, TVM Signalling and Transportation Systems, Geo Climate Risk Solutions, and Q-Line Biotech.
Laurus Labs Ltd., a prominent pharma and biotechnology company based in Hyderabad, has licensed technology from IIT Kanpur in the gene therapy domain and is establishing its cGMP vector manufacturing facility within Technopark@iitk.
Prof. Amarendra Kumar Singh, Professor-in-charge of Technopark@iitk, emphasized the park's role in promoting holistic interactions between industry and IIT Kanpur. He highlighted the park's offerings, including collaboration on R&D projects with faculty, internships for students on industry challenges, access to IIT Kanpur's R&D infrastructure, joint patents and publications, as well as licensing and commercializing patented technologies.
The new facility is poised to become a center for defense testing facilities under the DTIS scheme of the Ministry of Defence, focusing on UAV and communications.
The launch of the Phase 1 building marks an exciting chapter for IIT Kanpur and Technopark@iitk, reinforcing their commitment to bridging the industry-academia gap and contributing to the national objective of building a self-reliant and developed India, in line with the 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' and 'Viksit Bharat' initiatives.
