The Karnataka State Council for Science and Technology (KSCST) has been pro-actively engaging itself to identify, propose and implement S&T-based solutions to locale-specific needs and problems through S&T interventions in education, water, energy, housing, geospatial technologies, and natural resource management.
Established in 1975 to utilize the scientific and technical expertise in the state to improve the living standards of people and to provide solutions through S&T interventions, the recent major initiatives of KSCST for societal benefits include geospatial action plan for informed decision-making, rainwater harvesting, rejuvenation of traditional water harvesting systems and Karnataka Geoportal, village mapping. They also include a faculty project program, patent cell, watershed management and digital mapping of heritage sites, renewable energy-related activities, implementation of a virtual classroom in high schools, and S & T outreach activities.
KSCST supports the State Government in formulation of S&T based policies and supports Central and State Governments in scientific surveys, project implementation, evaluation, coordination & monitoring, organization of scientific meets, and awareness campaigns.
A repository of Natural Resources and Socio-economic geo-database have been created to support local-level planning and guidelines developed for generating village cadaster using high-resolution satellite imageries. It was the first state to generate Geospatial Action Plan for line departments. Karnataka State Spatial Data Infrastructure (KSSDI), a web portal, has been developed to find and access spatial information/services via the Internet. Laser scanning of state archaeological sites and Hampi World Heritage site has been carried out to create virtual walk-throughs and reconstruction or restoration. The mapping of all the state archeological sites is in process.
Geospatial mapping of Traditional Surface Water Bodies has been carried out for restoration and rejuvenation, and based on the reports, the state government is taking up restoration works of surface water bodies under Jal Shakti Abhiyan and MGNREGA programs.
A Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security promotes cyber safe and conducive environment for industry collaboration, addressing skill gaps, building awareness & facilitating innovation in this emerging technology. The energy cell demonstrates and disseminates new technologies through workshops, techno-economic feasibility reports, and energy conservation & management, including bio-energy. Research, development, and dissemination of cost-effective energy efficient building technologies have been carried out, and houses built on the basis of these.
A Centre of Excellence has been set up in Aerospace & Defense in association with Visvesvaraya Technological University, which trains graduates and post-graduate engineering students on Aircraft and Aerospace Technologies. An SC/ST cell to promote sustainable technologies for the socioeconomic development of marginalized communities has been established along with SHG/FPO enterprises to address malnutrition, provide rural livelihoods, and reduce fruit and vegetable spoilage and post-harvest losses because of lack of primary processing facilities.
The council also works on solutions for rainwater harvesting, Academic and Industry Interaction, and science popularization. Scientific Audits have been carried out of the schools under Karnataka Residential Educational Institutions Society (KREIS), identifying system deficiencies with a view to assist the department to improve the managerial practices in school administration.
A Patent Information Centre promotes, protects, and commercializes the Intellectual Property Rights of inventors and creators, and over the years, a number of technologies have been translated from research and demonstration phase to the implementation and operational phase.
