Bhubaneswar, Jan 23: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bhubaneswar organized the PanIIT World of Technology (PIWOT) Satellite Conference on 23 January 2025. The programme was a one-of-its-kind event uniting a diverse group of leaders from industries, academia, and the government sector to foster a collaborative approach between industry and academia.
The conference was jointly organised by the IIT Alumni Association, Wheels Global Foundation India, and Confederation of Indian Industries (CII).
In the inaugural session,Sujata Roy, President, Wheels Global Foundation India highlighted the significance and objectives of the PIWOT Satellite Conference.
In his address, Prof. Shreepad Karmalkar, Director, IIT Bhubaneswar highlighted the transformation of the IITs beyond knowledge dissemination or teaching, and knowledge generation or research over the last five decades. He said that, today, the IITs are alsoinvolved in knowledge application or directly solving societal problems via multidisciplinary approach, and in wealth generation or developing entrepreneurship. In addition, IIT Bhubaneswar has some unique features. First, it has started developing outstanding schoolteachers through the Integrated Teachers Education Program (ITEP). Second, every faculty of IIT Bhubaneswar prepares a teaching portfolio for every course taught by him/her that documents various aspects of teaching such as learning outcomes, critical thinking level questions, student performance, attention provided to students who have difficulties, student feedback and more. He also outlined methods employed to ensure mental wellnesses of students.
Speaking on this occasion, Prof. Brahma Deo, MGM Chair Professor, IIT Bhubaneswar discussed the issues and concerns about Industry-Academia collaboration. He stressed that there should be an industry-academia interaction cell at every IIT to bridge the existing gap in this field.
In his address, Dr. Prashant Kumar Hota, Co-Chairman of the CSR & AA Sub Committee and President and group CSR of Jindal Steel and Power Ltd., delved into the aspects of Industry-Academia collaboration in the field of Sustainability. He emphasized the importance of individual responsibility and human-friendly research to attain sustainability.
S.S. Mohanty, former Chairman, CII Odisha spoke on the role of IIT in the incubation of start-ups and new business processes. He highlighted the importance of a collaborative effort between industry and academia in a structured manner to boost research and development in the country.
Sambit Tripathy, Ex-IRS and CMD, Livelihood Alternatives threw light on the need for an Industry-Academia collaboration with Rural Development. He spoke about how farmers in Odisha are adopting new technologies in farming with the help of SHGs and NGOs to yield good quality crops. He also gave insightful examples about how small-scale farmers are being trained in techniques related to plucking, preserving and packaging fruits and vegetables to make them export quality products.
Ratan Agarwal, Vice President, Wheels Global Foundation India also spoke on this occasion.
The inaugural session was followed by different insightful presentations and interactions. Prof. Dinakar Pasla, Dean, Sponsored Research & Industrial Consultancy of the Institute presented on the Research Ecosystem at IIT Bhubaneswar. Prof. Saroj Kumar Nayak gave a presentation on the Centres of Excellence (CoE) at IIT Bhubaneswar, which are serving as the catalysts for innovation and growth.
