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I. Introduction
The All India Council of Technical Education
considered the question of setting up inter-links
between the technical
education and research on one side and
the industry on the other, at its meeting held on May 17, 1974. The
Council considered it absolutely necessary to develop
a system of education where
some joint effort with industry is involved.
This, in their opinion, will help the
students and equip them to be able to take up development research
and consultancy work of interest to industry. The
Council
also emphasized the need that the
institutions ensure that there is a continuing exchange of expertise
and experience between the institutions and industry
through guest speakers, seminars and
workshops etc. between the faculty and students on one hand and the
appropriate industrial undertakings on the other.
The Council made the following recommendations:
- The Council recommended that
the technical institutions should accept the
responsibility within the limitation
of resources and the range
of expertise available with
them, to initiate concerted efforts by organizing cooperative
programmes like apprenticeship training, sandwich
courses and practice schools,
reviewing course
content from time to time to meet the operational and design
requirements of industry, organizing short term
progrmmes including non-formal
education for
serving personnel from industry, assigning specific projects
on live problems of industry to students and
organizing special seminars/symposia
with participants
from institutions and industry.
- It also recommended that teachers in technical institutions
should be encouraged to undertake consultancy
practices in accordance
with the
normal rules accepted
by the Government.
The Council also observed that the institution-based consultancy
practice is most essential to keep the faculty alive to the
needs of the industry.
It contributes
to faculty development and thus improves the effectiveness
of teaching and the standards of technical education as well.
It also helps to
recruit well
qualified, competent, motivated and practicing engineers to
the faculty.
It felt that several technological institutions like ours in
the country have gathered teams of highly qualified scientists
and engineers
and
possess modern
sophisticated equipment and other facilities. In their opinion,
the expertise and facilities available, however, are not fully
and effectively
utilized although
sizeable research and consultancy work is being carried out
at some of these places. Efforts should be made to achieve
better results.
The industry in their opinion is not completely aware of the
expertise available in these institutions and is not sure about
the extent
to which an individual
institution can contribute to
the solution of problems encountered in industrial development
and growth. Each institution has, therefore, to project out
an adequate
image of
the expertise and capabilities for extension service and spell
out the help it can render
for the solution of problems faced by industry.
Based on the above observation of the All India Council of
Technical Education, it has been accepted by the IITs Council
that the
five IITs where facilities
and expertise exist for undertaking research and development,
design and consultancy should take immediate action to set
up Industrial
Research & Consultancy
Centre. Such Centers should act as a link between industry and
institutions to enable the existing expertise and capacity in
terms of men, machines
and methods, to be effectively used for the growth and development
of industry, based on indigenous knowhow and competence of the
institution.
It has been suggested that such Industrial Research & Consultancy
Centre should be headed by a full–time member of staff. He may
be assisted if necessary by others on full time or part time basis
to take care of managerial
functions. These centres should be self–supporting and
need not involve an additional expenditure. However, in the initial
stage of
2 to 3 years,
if there is an additional expenditure on this account, the same
may be met from
the overall budget provision of the institute.
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II.
Projected Functions of Industrial Research & Consultancy Centre
The following functions for the Industrial Research & Consultancy Centre are envisaged.
- To establish closer relation
with industry.
- To disseminate technical information
to various agencies
- To identify industrial
problems and to undertake research, design, development
and consultancy work.
- To formulate time
bound research programmes and arrange necessary
Contractual Agreements with the industrial
organization and expeditiously
complete
them.
- To exchange technical
personnel between institution and industry.
- To lay down procedures
for distribution of revenues among various elements
involved in the work.
- To promote
systematic utilization of expertise, facilities
and consultancy services available
with the institute
for the consultancy
work and
for industrial research and development.
- To encourage self–employment and entrepreneurship
among young Technologists and Engineers.
To achieve the above functions the IRCC would
have the following facilities:
(i.)
Facilities for design, fabrication, testing
and analysis.
(ii.)
Facilities for experimentation with respect
to industrial problems, products and processes.
(iii.)
Planning, costing, execution and evaluation
of projects.
It can thus be surmised that starting as a
link between IITB and industry, the IRCC will
attempt
to foster
production based on indigenous
knowhow.
The IRCC, in future, is likely to develop into
a self supporting centre for Engineering
Experimentation and Design. New industrial
products and processes
will be designed and developed on expertise
available at the institute. It is expected
to bring
interdisciplinary research & development projects to
the forefront where faculty from different departments will
work together.
A major activity of the Centre having all basic
design and experimental facilities as well
as staff for
project development and management,
will be to prepare
feasibility and detailed project reports of
industrial projects.
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III.
The Interface of IRCC with other Academic Activities of IIT Bombay
IITB is an institution of national importance.
It is to carry out a set of functions in order
to be called a leading and live institution
fulfilling the
aims and objects with which the IITs have been established. Some
of
these are the following.
- To impart the highest and
most up-to-date instruction to its undergraduate
and postgraduate students.
- To have an innovative and
effective system of academic evaluation of students
with a large emphasis on problem solving by the
students in
order to integrate
the knowledge that they accumulate and to enable them to
apply this knowledge to realistic problem of
industry or elsewhere.
- To have challenging and
live research programmes both in theoretical
and experimental studies for the postgraduate
students for their
degrees and also to cater for
the interest of the faculty to advance their capacities
as leader in their field of study or research.
This will have
impact also
ion their
teaching.
- To bid and acquire
from various National or International Funding
Agencies and the Industry research projects of
sizeable nature
and thus meet
the demand from the Faculty for more resources needed
for projected research work.
- To encourage the
faculty to undertake preparation of good quality
books in their special areas or in the
areas of
general undergraduate
education,
technology,
science and humanities.
- To keep the various academic programmes under review
and modernize them almost constantly.
IV.
Present Status of Industrial Activities at IIT Bombay
The Indian Institute of Technology has been actively participating
in many or even most of the functions outlined above. It has definitely
taken a
lead and has been forward looking. There is, however, always a possibility
to
do more and better. In the past most of the consultancy work has
been initiated and conducted at the departmental level under the
advice
of
Institute Consultation
Practice committee. The departments or individual have strived to
bid for research
and developmental projects from the Government and industrial funding
agencies. Considerable amount of consultation work has been done
for the industry.
There have been a large number of seminars, symposia and conferences
organized by
different departments where both industry and institutions have participated;
courses both of long and short durations have been designed and conducted
for the benefit of industry. Many of our faculty members have mutual
agreement to visit factories at convenient times. An effective industrial
training
programme
has been organized for the students to work in industry for certain
length of time. The Training and Placement Office has done commendable
work,
in not only finding the placement for our students in industry but
also advise
them
on self–employment entrepreneurship. It has also been responsible
for arranging industrial training programmes.
It would thus appear that we have already given attention to problem
on industrial relations and steps have been taken from time to time
to bring suitable machinery
into being in order to augment these activities.
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V.
The proposed IRCC and its Framework.
It has been pointed out that the bulk of consultancy
work, at present, is carried out in the departments
where facilities and expertise
have been developed
during
the pas sixteen years. These facilities, by and large, and the
expertise will still stay with the department
where the ideas originate. It
is envisaged that
the proposed IRCC would have complementary facilities to enable
the faculty to carry out the assigned work with
efficiency and speed.
The IRCC may
in future develop into a Centre for Engineering Experimentation,
with some large
scale
fabrication facilities which may not be possible in the Departments.
It is thus expected that the IRCC will help further growth of Industrial
Research & development
and consultancy by obtaining projects on Institutional basis and
then assigning them to the competent persons to carry them out. It
will also
settle the
fees to be charged and its suitable distribution among proper heads.
The present procedure for consultation has several difficulties
and shortcomings. These have been discussed critically in the recent
Consultative
Practice Committee
Report. The report deals mainly with streamlining the procedure
for consultation. The following aspects are lacking in the present
consultation
scheme.
1.
Patent utilization
2.
Scaling up of processes developed
3.
Legal safeguards, audit and purchase facilities.
4.
Instrument and Equipment Design
5.
Fabrication Facilities.
The Industrial Research & Consultancy
Centre, IITB, will ultimately be the chief avenue
of all kinds of industrial collaboration where
the Institute
can render valuable advice and help to our growing industry.
IRCC will develop an effective liaison with industry,
locate competence
in IITB
for various
kinds of problems and keep industry informed of this. In order
to perform its function
effectively, it is felt that it should gradually develop the
following Section under it.
(i.)
Industrial Research and Development and Design Section;
(ii.)
Prototype development, fabrication and scaling section;
(iii.)
Consultancy section having the following subsection:
a.
Process and product development consultancy,
b.
Management consultancy,
c.
Project and feasibility report preparation;
(iv.)
Computer aided design group;
(v.)
Extension courses and continuing education for industry.
The
bulk of expertise for carrying out the work secured by
IRCC from industry will be done in the Departments.
The IRCC
should
know exactly
as to where a
particular problem be referred to.
It will set up in liaison with other facilities at the
Institute to utilize them effectively for speedy solution
of problems.
These facilities
are–
1.
Central Services Organization
2.
Computer Centre
3.
Central Library
4.
Central Workshop
5.
Printing Press and Publication Facilities
6.
Proposed Central Research Facilities
7.
Proposed Regional Sophisticated Instruments Centre
8.
The Industrial Design Centre
The IRCC will have an Advisory
Council. It will also have suitable help for legal
problems and purchase, audit
and
patent acquisition.
The organisational
structure indicating the functioning of the IRCC is
enclosed (Flow Chart).
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VI.
Operational Efficiency.
As pointed out, the Faculty of the Institute definitely had very
good opportunities to get to know mutually persons in responsible
positions
in important and leading
industrial
establishments. As a result of this there has been plenty of
scope for the consultant and client to come together and formulate
plans
for industry oriented
projects.
In spite of this the fact, however, remains that the total number
of such collaborative endeavours is still not very sizeable.
This can
be augmented
in an effective
way, particularly when we are located in the heart of the Industrial
Capital of the Country. Many of the bottlenecks in such an augmentation
of collaborative
effort may be not technical, but administrative and managerial
in nature. The proposed Industrial Research & Consultancy Centre
would need to provide express service for administrative, accounting
and purchase
work
needed to
expedite the work on the projects.
Thus the Industrial Research & Consultancy Center would operate
as a focal point not only providing complementary facilities
non-existent in the
departments
but also as an agency maintaining liaison with industry and taking
care
of administrative and managerial functions for the departments
and thus expediting
the progress of projects.
VII.
Recommendations
The Committee wishes to make the following recommendations:
-
The Industrial Research & Consultancy Centre (IRCC)
should be set up with a small nucleus to begin with.
A suitable place
for its
location
may
be found.
- The IRCC will be
under the charge of a Co-ordinator who should
be appointed for a period of 3 years.
- The IRCC will have
an Advisory Committee with the Director as its
Chairman.
- The Advisory
Committee will have 6 members in addition to
the coordinator of the IRCC as ex-officio member.
Of the
6 members
two members
will retire at
a time. The normal tenure of membership will be
3 years.
- The Advisory
Committee will lay down the guidelines and policies
for the working of the IRCC. Some
of the guidelines
suggested
by this committee
are given in
Annexure – A.
- The IRCC
will have two working committees to look after
the work undertaken. These committees
will
be (i) The
Consultative
Practice
Committee and
(ii) The Committee for R&D work and Continuing
Education to Industry. The Consultative Practice
Committee will look after the consultancy work
received by the IRCC
and the Committee for the R&D work and
Continuing Education to Industry will look
after the research
and development work
being
taken by the
IRCC and also set up a liaison between the
Institute and Industry for organizing
training
programme for personnel in industry, arranging
seminars and exchanging the faculty between
the Institute and
Industry.
- The IRCC
will project the capabilities of the Institute
to Industry as regards the expertise
and facilities
available. For this purpose,
the IRCC will prepare
all suitable documents in the form of booklets,
broacher etc. which can be sent to the Industry
in connection
with
either
research and development work
or consultancy work. The IRCC will also maintain
an up-to-date list of industries and other
agencies who might be interested in either
R&D work or in consultancy.
They will be supplied with information regarding
the availabilities
of facilities
and expertise
at the Institute.
- The IRCC
will receive proposals for R&D
or consultation work from industry or other
agencies and will pass it
on to one of the
two committees
indicated
above for processing. These committees will,
after processing, locate the expertise in the
Institute and then assign
the work either to
a single individual or
a group from the faculty. The committees will
also finalize the charges that the sponsoring
agency will be required
to pay and later look
after the distribution
of money received among different heads.
- The IRCC
will receive the report on the R&D
work carried out or consultation work done
by the faculty,
either individual
or as
a group. Direct communication
between the faculty and the sponsoring agencies
will be worthwhile for expediting the projects.
The final
report will be sent
to the client
by the IRCC.
- The Faculty
engaged in R&D or consultation
work with keeps the IRCC informed of the progress
of the projects
undertaken
so that
the IRCC
may be able to
maintain a suitable chart indicating the projects
on which the work is done at a given time and
the stage
at which the
project stands.
- The IRCC
will need to have a suitable office set up to
enable it and the co-ordination to
function
properly
and expedite
the correspondence
needed
in connection with
the projects. The IRCC will also require facilities
for
the purchase of materials needed quickly for
the consultation or R&D projects. The Committee
feels that this can be achieved by identifying
an R&D and
Consultation Cell in the Stores Office.
- A similar
cell will be needed in the office of the Deputy
Registrar (Finance & Accounts)
for dealing with the IRCC work expeditiously.
A separate budget head for IRCC may be maintained
and audit facilities
provided.
- The IRCC
will need to have suitable facilities for dealing
with legal matters and also facilities
for
taking action
to acquire
patents.
- The IRCC
will need the services of a Technical Officer
to work under the coordinator for
carrying out the
work expeditiously.
The Technical
Officer will have to
be a practicing Engineer / Technologist
with a good knowledge of the work involved in
industrial liaison,
patent search
etc.
- To begin
with, some equipment and facility for prototype
development, fabrication
and scaling
may be set up
in the IRCC.
- The IRCC
will also require the facilities of design and
drawing and therefore
a small design
office
should be attached to
the Centre.
- The IRCC should establish close liaison
with the various industrial and consultancy
organization
in the State.
As many of their
head offices are located in the
heart of the city, a Liaison Office
of the IRCC can be located in a suitable
place in
the city
for the
purpose of contacting the various
organization and publicizing the capabilities
and
efforts of
the IIT
Bombay.
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Annexure A
Guideline for the working of IRCC
- All the communications
from industry and other organizations regarding
R&D
work and consultancy will be addressed to the Director,
IIT Bombay: attention – Coordinator,
IRCC.
- Where the specific
assistance is sought from an individual faculty
member, the official communication received will
be directed
by the IRCC to the member
concerned without delay.
- The faculty member
in turn, will make a brief report of what he
is expected to do and indicate to the IRCC,
the charges
involved in the
work.
- The work will be
taken by the individual faculty member only when
the money is received and the
project has
been approved
by the
IRCC.
- In the case where the industry does not specify
a particular member, the IRCC will decide in
consultation
with the
Department/Departments concerned as to
how best the project can be taken up.
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