The ambitious ‘One Week One Lab’ (OWOL) campaign of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) got off to a start at the Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) here on Monday, July 3.
With the slogan ‘Celebrating Food Research’, a series of events will unfold the entire week as part of OWOL, engaging the public, showcasing innovative technologies and igniting inventive minds of young innovators, students, start-ups, academia and industry professionals for exploring the potential of deep tech ventures.
Technical sessions and product launch; investment pitch and start-ups; women SHG, farmer entrepreneurs and supplementary food; JIGYASA: student-scientist connect; culinary clash- the ultimate cooking showdown; artificial intelligence, drones and robotics; millets’ focus; eat right and walkathon; display of innovative posters by start-ups; women SHGs, farmer entrepreneurs and open day and exhibition will feature during the campaign.
Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, the scion of erstwhile Mysore royal family, inaugurated the OWOL. Former CFTRI Directors V. Prakash and S.R. Bhowmick, and Ashok Dalawai, CEO, NRRA and Chairman, Empowered Body of Doubling Farmers’ Income, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, GoI were the guests of eminence. CSIR-CFTRI Director Sridevi Annapurna Singh presided.
As part of the initiative, CFTRI aims at driving innovation in the food industry, fostering collaborations and raising awareness.
In his inaugural address, Mr. Wadiyar spoke about the need for innovating foods that are rich in nutrition and quality. He laid emphasis on indigenous innovations for fulfilling the needs of indigenous populations.
Speaking on the occasion, Ashok Dalawai said science, technology and innovation must go together for India to become a powerhouse in the area of technological innovations. Institutes like CFTRI can play a key role in this endeavor, coming up with innovations in food processing.
The focus should be on job creation bringing about innovations without impacting nature by using bio resources. India has to make progress in the area of food processing, which helps increase shelf life of foods and benefit farmers, he explained.
Dr. Prakash said the CFTRI is perhaps the only central institute in the country that functions in a palace and all of us must be grateful to the Mysuru kings who gave this beautiful palace for housing the premier food research institute. The Mysuru Wadiyars’ generosity will go a long way in fostering research in food.
He recalled the origin of CFTRI, its progress and achievements over the years. In the next three years, it will be completing 75 glorious years, he added.
Dr. Bhowmick also spoke. The CFTRI director gave an overview of OWOL and the events that are planned in the next one week. Chief Scientist Satyendra Rao welcomed.
A poster session on innovation in food science and technology for start-ups was held after the inaugural session. About 15 start-ups from across the country presented posters along with their innovative food products. Four best posters were given awards.
The posters pertaining to innovative protein sources, innovative probiotics, AI-based tools for supply chain management and food safety for industries were the broad theme areas.
