BENGALURU: By and large, academic institutions are good in research, poor in development and zero in delivery, while industry is good in delivery, poor in development and zero in research, said former principal scientific adviser to the Government of India, Dr R Chidambaram.He was speaking on ‘Technology Foresight’ at the Centre for Nano Sciences & Engineering (CeNSE), IISc, on Monday.
Chidambaram explained that an interface of industry and academia is necessary to develop science and technology. Industry-academia collaboration aided industrial development in one of the institutions in the country, he recalled.
The PSA’s office funded a project to build the world’s best griding machine tool. The professor in charge had consulted with an academic institution in Massachusetts, and was so successful in his project that the department of heavy industries (DHI) financially assisted him in setting up a centre for advanced manufacturing.The DHI sanctioned 11 projects related to the development of a machine and related technologies to IITM on a cost-sharing basis.
NUCLEAR REACTORS OVER BIO-FUEL
Speaking on the possibility of using bio-energy produced by agricultural waste instead of nuclear energy, Chidambaram said biomass burning causes greenhouse gases. Bio natural gas releases carbondioxide, he added. He said, “Nuclear power provides base load for continuous operation, while biomass is not sufficient to satisfy any country’s energy needs.”