Union government has sanctioned Rs.100 crore to set up the Indian Institute of Nano Science and Technology (IINST) at Bangalore. The fund allocation is part of the central government's nano mission. Karnataka government has already allocated 14 acres on Tumkur Road for locating the IINST which is expected to be ready in 2011.
The emergence of nanotechnology in the state came about with the initiatives took by Prof CNR Rao, National Research Professor and Linus Pauling Research Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR).
According to Anand Vasant Asnotikar, Minister for Fisheries and Science & Technology, Government of Karnataka, the institute will focus on advanced scientific research and the State government in consultation with Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research Centre and Indian Institute of Science. The IINST will be a big boost to the scientific activities in the field of nanotechnology.
The state has already made efforts for the promotion on nanotechnology with the distribution of free compact discs to over 12,000 schools to create an interest among the students in the field, he added.
In the area of life sciences, the city already is home to three globally recognized research institutes: Indian Institute of Science, National Centre for Biological Sciences and the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research. Now the city was making efforts to set up International Centre for Theoretical Sciences(ICTS) for which an investment of Rs.100 crore is required and this would be established by the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai.
The Karnataka government has allotted 17 acres at Hessarghatta in Bangalore and ICTS is expected to be operational by 2011. A decision is also taken to establish a master control centre for Karnataka Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre at an investment of Rs. 8.75 crore at Yelahanka in Bangalore. Efforts are also on by the Karnataka State Council for Science and Technology to open a geo-portal at a cost of Rs. 3.5 crore to provide information on various natural resources. Another effort by the state is to establish an Industrial and Technological Research Institute.
Karnataka is now gearing up to organize the third edition of the Bangalore Nano 2010 between December 8 and 9, 2010 which is the flagship event on Nanotechnology organized by Department of IT, Biotechnology and Science & Technology, Government of Karnataka, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research and MM ACTIV Sci Tech Communications. The theme of this year's exposition is 'Frontiers of Nanotechnology: Impact on India'.
The state's capital Bangalore has been acknowledged as the Knowledge capital of the country. In the last two decades, Bangalore has been recognized as the most preferred destination for frontier technologies like Information Technology and Biotechnology. Events like the Bangalore IT and Bangalore India Bio are well known platforms for experts and technologists to highlight the latest developments, stated the minister.