ROURKELA: ISRO chairman Dr V Narayanan on Wednesday inaugurated the new Space Technology Incubation Centre (STIC) at the National Institute of Technology-Rourkela on Wednesday.
Addressing the event virtually as the chief guest, Dr Narayanan said, “This is a momentous occasion as we are inaugurating the STIC facility at NIT-Rourkela and also celebrating the return of Sunita Williams and her fellow astronauts after their remarkable mission aboard the International Space Station.”
He highlighted ISRO’s Venus Orbiter, Chandrayaan-4, Chandrayaan-5 and the ambitious Gaganyaan missions to send Indian astronauts into space. “The success of India’s space programme is a collective effort, involving ISRO team, industrial partners and academia including institutes like IITs and NITs. With 20 departments, outstanding faculty and excellent infrastructure, NIT-Rourkela is an ideal place for a centre focused on space research. I urge students to embrace the opportunities at STIC and play a key role in shaping India’s future in space exploration.”
Director of the Capacity Building Programme Office (CPBO) at ISRO G Harikrishnan said STIC is designed to strengthen the academic foundation, develop high-quality human resources and build infrastructure at academic institutions to support the Indian space programme.
“To facilitate this, an MoU between ISRO and NIT-Rourkela was signed four years ago. Since then, eight projects with a total value of approximately Rs 1.7 crore, have been underway. I firmly believe that the new STIC facility will further expand the institute’s horizons, enabling the launch of more space technology projects,” he added.
Scientific secretary to ISRO M Ganesh Pillai emphasised the importance of nurturing young talents and collaboration between academia and industry to advance space technology research.
NIT-R director Prof K Umamaheshwar Rao also spoke on the occasion.
The STIC at NIT-Rourkela acts as the hub for the eastern region covering Odisha, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. The STIC initiative is coordinated by ISRO’s CBPO, which oversees activities related to incubation centres across the country.