In an attempt to promote innovation and nurture the budding talent, the Indian Institute of Technology, Tirupati (IIT-T) has launched ‘Navavishkar I-Hub Foundation’ (NIF), a technology innovation hub (TIH).
There are 25 such hubs established by institutions of national repute such as IIT, IISc and IIIT across India, as part of the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber Physical Systems (NM-ICPS). The Department of Science and Technology of the Union government has sanctioned a total outlay of ₹3,660 crore for the same and the amount is supposed to be spent in five years.
Each innovation hub has been given a technology vertical such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, robotics, quantum technology and so on. “We, at the IIT, Tirupati, will work on positioning and precision technologies, which is an emerging area, with varied applications,” IITT-NIF’s Project Director Roshan Srivastav told the media here on Friday.
He said the NIF would work on remote sensing (non-invasive), Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and Global Positioning System (GPS) to develop applications that help in the initiatives such as Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan and startup ecosystem.
“Our work will have wide-ranging applications in defence, precision agriculture, radio frequency and microwave, robotics, data science, indoor mapping, remote sensing, policy and legal framework,” Dr. Srivastav explained, adding that it would translate into action in disaster management, smart cities and villages, navigation, rural and urban land record and energy resource management.
‘Hub and spoke’ model
As many as 48 faculty members from nine departments of the IIT-T will play key roles in the activities of the NIF, which will operate as a not-for-profit company. Designed to work on the ‘hub and spoke’ model, the foundation will collaborate with institutions and industry across India to tap the ‘right resources’, he said. Aspirants desiring to join hands can visit https://iittnif.com/
