Industry-University collaboration is key to converting innovative ideas into viable commercial products, according to Dr. Caven McLoughlin, Professor at Kent State University in Ohio in USA. The innovative ideas of students and faculties should be converted into prototypes for the industry to evince interest. Worldwide, long term research for inventions is giving way for innovative research for immediate commercial value, he added.
Dr McLoughlin was inaugurating the function organized as part of the ‘Innovation Bazar’ programme at Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Research Institute in Chennai.
Dr. P V Vijayaraghavan, vice-chancellor of the university said SRMC is setting up an incubation centre and is associating the healthcare industry to make research and innovation a major dimension of the institution in the future. Dr. S P Thyagarajan, Dean, Research, said 342 students from all faculties and colleges of SRMC have come up with 14 models and 132 posters which will be evaluated. The best ideas will be patented, he added.
Apart from Dr Cavin McLoughlin, Dr G Thangamuthu, former vice chancellor, Bharathidasan University, Dr. Velmurugan, former dean, Madras University (Guindy campus) and Natarajan, industrial expert and consultant, Cavin Care were the judges.
There was also a face to face interaction between industry representatives and inventors of SRMC who have filed for patents.