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Call for linking top laboratories

JAIPUR: The need to use the highly qualified manpower available in the country as a valuable resource for nation-building and economic advancement was underlined at a national conference on microprocessors, smart materials and structures held at the Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani, over the weekend.

“There is a need to put together the scientific manpower and establish networking among the top scientific laboratories in the country,” the experts said.

T. Ramasami, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, said money was not the only resource to be utilised to address the country’s needs as the highly qualified scientific manpower was an equally important resource.

The Institute of Smart Structures and Systems (ISSS), the Central Electronics Engineering Research Institute (CEERI), Pilani, and BITS Pilani jointly organised the conference.

Elaborating on the need for networking of CSIR laboratories with other research labs, Dr. Ramasami said knowledge created by the scientific community had to get consolidated in the CSIR labs which in turn would be converted into “know-how” and finally into “show-how”. According to him, the acronym CSIR stood for Crossing the barriers, Serving national agenda, Interest in national agenda and Redressal of national failures.

V.K. Aatre, former Scientific Adviser to the Union Defence Minister, and Director-General, Defence Research and Development Organisation, in his guest address said technology should generate wealth too: “Without knowledge power there cannot be any economic power.” Talking about the convergence of technologies, he highlighted the importance of powerful linkages among academia, R&D labs and production industries for quality manufacturing.

CEERI Pilani Director Chandrashekhar and BITS Pilani Vice-Chancellor L. K. Maheshwari welcoming the participants emphasised the need for more collaborative activities among various research organisations.

ISSS president and NAL Director A. R. Upadhyaya said ISSS was founded in 1999 to promote smart technology in India and keep pace with the advances being made. ISSS also provided a common forum for the scientists and researchers working in various inter-related fields.

The conference had 10 expert lectures, six product displays and a large number of paper presentations for two days. Nearly 400 scientists from various organisations including CSIR, DRDO, CEERI, BITS Pilani, IISC participated.

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