KOCHI: In a bid to improve industry- academia interaction, the state government is planning to set up industrial parks adjacent to universities and other educational institutions. This is aimed to enable industrial and commercial applications of research breakthroughs achieved in these institutions.
“We are planning to set up industrial parks near educational institutions. Universities and other educational institutions have large parcels of land that can be used to set up such parks,” Industries Minister P Rajeeve told TNIE.
Globally, some of the best companies emerged from their proximity to esteemed universities — like Silicon Valley in the US, which took shape in the hinterland of Stanford University. While universities, with their research & development (R&D) facilities, carry out intensive studies, what matters is the commercial application of these technologies.
Rajeeve said once implemented, the idea would be a major stride towards Kerala’s industrial growth. According to officials, the partnership between industry and academia will do a world of good as the tie-up would help in finding the commercial application of the R&D happening in the universities.
To boost R&D in varsities, the government is also planning to set up a ‘risk fund’ to help the startups launch commercial products using the research findings at the universities. Recently, the Cochin University of Science and Technology entered into a pact to establish India’s first Centre for Excellence for Synthetic Biology.
8 private industrial parks to come up in state
Eight private industrial parks are coming up in the state. While an NRI group is establishing one in Kannur, two each will come up in Pathanamthitta and Kottayam and one each in Palakkad and Malappuram. Rajeeve said one of the industrial parks in Pathanamthitta is being established by a small-scale industrial association, which also comprises NRI investors.
“It will be a path-breaking development,” he said. Private parks can be established by individuals, trusts, private limited companies or cooperatives. “Those who own 10 acres of land can apply. The land should be eligible for industrial use,” Rajeeve said. The minister said the government will give Rs 3 crore as incentive for infrastructure development such as setting up effluent treatment plants.
“The incentive is Rs 30 lakh/ acre and can go up to a maximum of Rs 3 crore,” he said. The significant feature of such private industrial parks is that they will be notified as industrial land. “Whatever exemptions and benefits a government industrial park gets will be given to the units in these private industrial parks too,” Rajeeve said. He said they have allowed private industrial parks as setting one up is costly and time-consuming for the government.
“If the government acquires and develops a land, its cost will go up from Rs 100/ cent to Rs 300-400/cent. For private players, it’s their own land, so there’s no such cost escalation. Even if they acquire the land, they do it directly. It doesn’t matter if the government acquires one cent or 100 acres, the time taken is the same,” he said.