“We should not depend on imported products and technologies. We have 1,50,000 scientists and an excellent pool of young talent who should be nurtured to focus on large Indian problems and solve them in a unique manner,” said IIT Madras professor Ashok Jhunjhunwala, who chairs the Immersive Technology and Entrepreneurship Labs at the institute.
For India to become technologically self-reliant, schools and colleges need to foster research culture. Free research is driven by curiosity and an innovatively thinking mind, experts on the panel reiterated.
Idea to research to product
Shivkumar Kalyanaraman, chief executive officer of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation, highlighted how government funding and other assistance is driving transformation in research and innovation and helping researchers who are problem-focussed.
What students learn should be of relevance; a good idea has to go all the way to become a product and a commercial success, said IIT Ropar director Rajeev Ahuja. “Students have to be encouraged to have their own ideas and find their own solutions; those who pursue knowledge seriously always find people to help them,” he added.
IIT Goa director Dhirendra S. Katti said: “IITs are diversifying now and running integrated programmes to enable students into immersive learning and critical thinking. But to become high quality researchers, one has to be resilient and passionate.”
K. Uma Maheshwari, the dean of the School of Arts, Sciences, Humanities and Education at SASTRA University, said that research to product is a long pathway and students should not be bogged down by failures. “Rejection of proposals and challenges birth the best ideas,” she said. The experts also warned against using AI while writing research papers.
This webinar can be viewed at https://newsth.live/THSABRY
Published – January 10, 2026 08:42 pm IST
