To commemorate World Intellectual Property (IP) Day 2025, the National Research Development Corporation (NRDC), under the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India, in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, organized a national workshop titled ‘Driving Innovation with IP: Strategic Approaches to Commercialization’ at the historic Faculty Hall, IISc.
Jointly supported by key institutions including IIIT Bangalore, CMTI, C-DOT, Central Silk Board, BeST Cluster, IPTel, and IISc, the event brought together over 250 in-person and 500 virtual participants from academia, research, startups, industry, PSUs, and government to deliberate on IP management and commercialization strategies.
Commodore Amit Rastogi (Retd.), CMD, NRDC, delivered the keynote, emphasizing NRDC’s role in scaling academic innovations via initiatives like NETRA, Design Clinic, and blended financing to Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) 7–9. He announced upcoming projects including a Technology Exchange Portal, IP Fairs, and a National Tech Translation Organization (NTTO), reinforcing the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.
Prof. Govindan Rangarajan, Director, IISc, underlined the need for structured IP protection in academia and acknowledged efforts to address cultural barriers to patenting. Key dignitaries included Manjushree N, IAS, Commissioner, DCTE GoK, Prof. Suryasarathi Bose (IISc), Dr. U T Vijay (KSCST), Prof. Debabrata Das (IIIT-B), Dr. S Manthira Moorthy (CSB), and Prakash Vinod (CMTI)—all advocating for deeper academia-industry collaboration and robust IP ecosystems. A MoA was signed between NRDC and IIIT Bangalore to facilitate tech commercialization.
Along with it a Tripartite Licensing Agreement signed between NRDC, CSIR-CFTRI, and Varre Corporate Solutions for CSIR-CFTRI’s Spirulina Cereal and Choco Bar technology. Dr. Dilip Krishnaswamy (C-DOT) and Dr. Vishal Rao (Innaumation Medical Devices) shared insights on embedding IP into business strategy. Dr. B. K. Sahu (NRDC) presented strategies for overcoming commercialization barriers.
Two major panel discussions featured leaders from Biocon Academy, BeST, CSIR-CFTRI, IIIT Innovation Centre, and IPTeL, focusing on bridging gaps between research and market, effective licensing strategies, and the critical role of policy and institutional mindset shifts. The workshop concluded with a unified call to action for scaling India’s innovation ecosystem through strategic IP commercialization, fostering national development and global competitiveness.
Nurturing Creativity – Keekli Charitable Trust, Shimla
