A Compendium of Technologies that showcases translational work of young scientists for resolving socially relevant problems, developed under the Scheme for Young Scientists and Technologists (SYST) was released by Prof. Abhay Karandikar, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology (DST).
“This compendium is not just a collection of technologies, but a relentless pursuit of knowledge towards societal benefit,” said Prof. Karandikar.
Emphasising on the need to create a platform for collaboration, technology transfer and deployment, Secretary DST proposed to create a separate fund to address the last mile challenges in technology development process and also for the dissemination of the technologies. He added that the achievements of the programme that were reflected in the compendium could go a long way towards the fulfilment of the National Development Goals.
The release of the compendium was attended by members of Expert Committee, involved in strengthening the ecosystem to foster young researchers in India to address various critical issues, such as cost-effectiveness, drudgery reduction, mitigation of environmental hazards, and enhancing the sustainability of existing processes, methods, or technologies.
The Compendium showcases 45 in four sectors: Health, Agriculture, Energy & Engineering, and Waste to Wealth. Some of these technologies have been successfully transferred to the line ministries and private companies, further highlighting their practicality and potential for widespread adoption.
An equipment designed and developed to reduce the drudgery of bamboo artisans has already been transferred to the Tool Room and Training Centre, MSME-Amingao, Guwahati for the training purpose. Tissue culture technology for growing dwarf cherry trees, aimed at efficient crop management, has been adopted by a private tissue culture lab in Himachal Pradesh, a prototype of dissolvable micro needles for vaccine delivery resulted in initiation of a startup company.
These researchers not only developed technologies but have also contributed significantly to the academic domain through more than 80 peer-reviewed research papers and 12 patents. There has been a remarkable improvement in the publication growth, citation growth and H index growth of these scientists after receiving the support of SYST.
In last nine years, the program with its lab to land approach has evolved to become a driving force to nurture young researchers towards problem-solving, solution-centric attitude. It has supported projects across 26 states and 6 Union Territories and helped develop innovative ideas, scientific knowledge, and integration of new and emerging technologies for the betterment of the society.
