HRD Ministry allocates Rs.1000 crore for research in S&T under IMPRINT-II

The Ministry of Human Resource Development has sanctioned Rs. 1000 crore for phase II of Impacting Research Innovation and Technology (IMPRINT) India programme to boost research and innovation in the country.
Under the IMPRINT-II, a fund is being created by Department of Science and Technology (DST) and HRD Ministry together, in which participation will come from industry and other interested Ministries. The project will be run as a separate vertical in coordination with DST.

Impacting Research Innovation and Technology (IMPRINT) India

IMPRINT India Programme is joint initiative of Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and Indian Institute of Science (IISc). It seeks to develop road map for research to solve major engineering and technology challenges in 10 technology domains relevant for country.
These domains include health care, information and communication technology, energy, sustainable habitat, nano‐technology hardware, water resources and river systems, advanced materials, manufacturing, security and defence, and environment and climate. These domains are distributed among IITs Kharagpur, Kanpur, Bomaby, Rookree, Madras and IISC, Bengaluru.

Objectives of IMPRINT

• Identify areas of immediate relevance that requires innovation in the society.
• Ensure support and higher funding for research for identified areas.
• Measure outcomes of innovation and research efforts and its impact on people’s standard of living.

Significance

It will motivate technical institutions to conduct research in areas where the country is heavily dependent on foreign technology. Under IMPRINT-I Programme, 142 projects at cost of Rs. 318.71 crore are already under implementation. These projects cover 10 crucial technology domains mentioned above.

Month: Current Affairs - March, 2018