SparkIP

Patenting shifted from end of (research) pipe activity to a precursor for initiating research. Instead of a typical patent search, corporates now look for patent spaces that can be (profitably) occupied by directed research. Software tools creating patent landscapes, clusters make that task easier. One such a tool is Spark IP built on visual landscape of more than 40,000 clusters. Try out the demo at:
www.sparkip.com/demo

support to reserach institutes

DBT issued calls for proposals on several subject areas-the recent is for establishing centers of excellence at research institutes. see http://dbtindia.nic.in/oldwebsite/proposals/proposalmain.html

Ministry of Micro, Samll & Medium Enterprises also invited proposals from institutes for setting up incubators. see
http://www.dcmsme.gov.in/schemes/

Indian innovators get awards but not rewards

The history repeated with IMD placing order for Doppler Weather Radars (DWR) on Chinese firm. The loser is consortium of Indian organisations BEL and ISRO that have developed competing technologies. Read the news item in MINT or tendering and history of disconnect between development and procurement in India from PRAGOTI.

Jail for exports to India

Indian newspapers carried this news that CEO of Cirrus electronics has been sentenced for 35 months jail for illegally exporting high technology electronic parts for ultimate use by Indian space, Indian air force etc. Are they really such high technology items? Ravi Visvasvraya Prasad elaborates on this in Asia Times. The so called high technology items were Intel i960 microprocessor , already long obsolete during the time of the alleged exports and capacitors that are Commercially-available, Off-The-Shelf (COTS) items which are widely used in civilian applications all over the world.

Ashden award 2008 for Svati Bhogle

The Ashden Awards prize of £40,000 was presented to Svati Bhogle, Chief Executive of TIDE, by Kenyan Nobel Prize laureate Wangari Maathai.Many of South India’s small businesses rely on wood as their main source of fuel, which causes pollution and deforestation, not to mention uncomfortable and dangerous working conditions when boilers and stoves are badly designed. Building on the excellent track record of stove design at the renowned Indian Institute of Science, TIDE commercialises their designs to provide efficient woodstoves and kilns which save at least 30 percent of fuel and are tailor-made for specific small industries. To date 110,000 workers enjoy better conditions thanks to the 10,000 products TIDE has supplied, saving around 43,000 tonnes of wood each year.

Designs from IIT, Mumbai

Design Degree show 2008 exhibits several industrial designs created by of IIT, Mumbai industrial Design students, 44 of them. See them on the net at:

http://www.idc.iitb.ac.in/~dds/

green oorja

The “Green Oorja” Initiative is a major programme of Commonwealth Business Council (CBC) that facilitates the exchange, adoption, development and commercialisation of key renewable energy technologies and those that improve energy conservation.The pilot program is launched first in India to be followed byMalysia, South Africa, Nigeria.
Parties interested can register at:
http://greenoorja.com/CEpages/FeedBack.aspx

Free Patent lessons from TMP Searchers

TMPsearchers http://www.tmpsearchers.com a Patent and Trademark Services website is

offering a Free Patent Training Course online to all registered members. The course lessons are sent by email one per day for 125 days. Membership is also free and only requires a simple registration step. Please check

http://www.tmpsearchers.com/patents/free-patent-training.html?a=tr&cid=4751

This free service is offered as tribute to Sri NR Natarajan by Mrs Janaki Natarajan. A very touching incident narrated by Mrs Janaki Natarajan ... must read.

International Conference on `“Global Water Solutions: Sharing Innovations”

Conference on Global Water Solutions-Sharing Innovations is organized on 19-20th June 2008 at PHD House, August Kranti Marg, New Delhi. For details:
http://www.thegii.org/gii/

Contact person:
Aparna Deshpande
Admin. & Events Manager
Society of Chemical Industry
where science meets business
D-514-516 Crystal Plaza
Andheri Link Road
Andheri (W)
Mumbai- 400053.
T:+91-22-26734845 / 46
F:+91-22-26734847
W: www.soci.org

Patenting activity

Both Economic Times and Mint have come with their analysis of patenting activity in India. Shantanu Nandan Sharma identified increased innovation activity in manufacturing whereas Viswanath Kulkarni saw surge in MNC patenting. Both are true- MNCs are entrusting more and more product development work to their Indian development centers and patenting traditionally associated with Drug & pharma now has a wider base. Nano takes the cake with 40 patents and can be credited for associating `new product' with `patent position' in corporate board rooms.

My e-Books from Corporate Tool Box

Corporate Tool Box has brought out 3 E Books authored by me:

1. Value Creation from Technology Licensing
2.Knowledge-the basis of Competition
3.Globlisation and Value creation

For details see:
http://www.thecorporatetoolbox.com/c_standard.asp?cid=-1822717345

India Innovation Pioneers Challenge 2007-8

This competition organised byIndo-US Science & Technology Forum in partnership with Intel and DST attracted over 250 proposals. Finalists include:
Neuragreen Corporation , a start-up incubated at NCL, Pune, founded by Dr Sarvesh Kumar coming to market proprietary mixture of optically pure metal chelators to reduce memory decay. Researchers Rajmohan and Anish has plans to take to market Polyskin developed at National Institute of Immunology.
Geographical Instruments incubated at STEP-Trichy , founded by engineering students Hema Nandhini patented their products in India, Chian, Japan and looking for big bang market entrt.
Orthograft a start-up incubated at IIT Kanpur, comes with nano-crystalline synthetic bone graft substitute, founded by Tapendu Mandal. Medical instruments get a Diomas Coat with start-up incubated at IIT Kharagpur promoted by Gobind Singh Bisht.
N Mobile by Pawan start-up from VIT, Vellore and Digi-touch incubated at PSG College , Coimabtore by Murali wants to develop non invasive technology for reading blood pressure, glucose level etc.
Another medical innovation is Prosthetic arm developed by entrepreneur Kumar , first model donated to MUKTI.
MBAs from ISB, Pankaj Singh and Saurabh Khedekar offer Graphology to recruiters to identify personality traits. Another tool for recruiters is Vita Peracta, with Sindhu offering game based methods to profile job seeker.
To prevent accidents on highways, Students Saurav kumar & Ashish Kumar from IIT Roorkee are developing InTramate collision prevention system.
One can cover stadiums will retractable roofs, a product from Adriot structures.

Local innovations - water & sanitation

Asoka's change makers announced winners for the competition `Tapping Local Innovation: unclogging Water and Sanitation Crisis' organized jointly with Global Water Challenge.winners are:
Himanshu Parikh Consulting Engineers
Naandi Foundation
Swayam Shikshan Prayog