ROURKELA: NIT-Rourkela’s collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to set up a Space-Technology Incubation Centre (S-TIC) on the institute’s premises has enthused the students and faculty.
The centre is all set to come up at NIT-Rourkela’s golden jubilee building in the next six to eight months.
The S-TIC envisages to attract and nurture young academia with innovative ideas/aptitude for research, motivate and support them to initiate startups and businesses in space technology and applications, while developing an academia-industry ecosystem for space technology.
NIT-Rourkela and ISRO had signed the agreement to set up the S-TIC on March 19. The premier institute is among the few in the country to get a centre that aims at making India self-reliant in space technology.
S-TIC coordinator and professor of electrical engineering of the institute, Sushmita Das said, S-TIC would promote research and product development in space technology and applications.
ISRO has given a detailed list of products and applications it needs and students with guidance from the faculty will take up different projects accordingly.
ISRO would act as a mentor and successful products or applications would be tested at its laboratories for use in future space missions, she added.
NIT-Rourkela on its part would extend state-of-the-art laboratories, other infrastructure along with logistics as well as expert faculty to the upcoming centre.
S-TIC would cater to the Eastern region of the country including Odisha, West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
NIT-Rourkela would get seed money of Rs 2 crore for two years from ISRO to augment facilities, research, product and software application development.
A third year student in Mechanical Engineering, Arun Mohapatra said, he is excited as the S-TIC would open up new avenues for NIT-R students in space technology.
Some clubs are already working in aero-modelling and participate in institute-level competitions. With expert guidance and ISRO’s mentorship, the talented NIT-R students may do wonders, he said.
Former Director of NIT-Rourkela Prof SK Sarangi said space technology has changed in recent years with advent of micro and mini satellites.
In the future it is possible that some start-ups may build micro or mini satellites. He said promotion of students’ projects may improve entrepreneurship avenues in space technology.