‘Institutions like IISER important for blue-sky innovation, expanding frontiers of knowledge’

NEW DELHI, MAY 21: Reiterating the need for more research in higher education in India to promote innovation, President, Ram Nath Kovind has said that institutions of scientific education and research are important in themselves for blue-sky innovation and for expanding the frontiers of knowledge.

President speaking at the 7th convocation of the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Mohali (IISER) emphasising on the purpose of promoting scientific research in higher education institutions said, “science and technology must continue to play a role in nation-building. As our nation evolves and as our society changes, our needs too are transformed. Yet, science and technology will always be required to find answers to developmental questions. The IISER network must immerse itself in these tasks.”

One of the major reason for low-quality research in Indian universities has been because of lack of encouragement from the industry and their viability. The President said that science and technology have a symbiotic relationship with business and industry. Product invention and process innovation; converting the learning of the lab into commercially viable products; using technology to promote efficiency, enterprise, and employment – there is so much science and commerce can do together.

“The combination of research institutions, technology start-ups incubated in campuses, and a knowledge-based business culture can be transformational. Silicon Valley in California and Bengaluru in India are two examples of this. IISER must strive to play a similar role in Mohali and the neighboring cities,” he said.

Urging your researchers to take a career in the field of science and research and do socially relevant research Kovind said, “Institutions of scientific education and research are important in themselves for blue-sky innovation and for expanding the frontiers of knowledge. This is the fundamental and to my mind most critical value of scientific research. It is to keep alive the instinct of curiosity that is at the root of our civilisation. As the history of science tells us, this route requires patience. But it can lead to unexpected and dramatic leaps in human imagination.”