When Technology meant Manufacturing Technology

My first book `Management of Technology Change' was written in 1994, the beginning of Liberalisation & Globalisation. Information Technology was still not a popular term and Technology was generally referred to as Manufacturing Technology. 

For decades, the industry has managed technology change by importing technology (as available) from joint venture partners. Despite policymakers hoping the Indian Industry would follow MITI Japanese model- import technology, absorb the technology, and later improve the technology to export it, our industry is struck in the first phase of technology import. Technology obsolescence is pervasive and India was least prepared to face global competition when the gates were open. Adding to the pain, the joint venture partners abandoned Indian partners to start their own subsidies.

This book looked at the fundamentals- 

• What constitutes manufacturing technology?
• How to manage changes in technology?
• How Firm Specific Knowledge enhances Technological Capabilty?

Manufacturing Technology (Industry 4.0) is now on the policy horizon.  Are we repeating the mistake of managing new digital technology like in 70's and 80's with imports of capital goods and software, without calibrated Technological Capability enhancement?

Draft Rules for Clinical Electrical Thermometer for comments from stakeholders- India

 The Indian Government invited comments on the draft.

https://consumeraffairs.nic.in/sites/default/files/file-uploads/latestnews/Draft%20Rules%20for%20Clinical%20Electrical%20Thermometer%20with%20Maximum%20Device.pdf

This specification applies to battery-powered instruments which provide a digital indication of temperature. 

(4) Clinical electrical thermometers designed to measure skin temperature are not covered by this specification. 

(5) This specification does not exclude the use of any contract device based on other measurement principles that meets equivalent performance standards in determining maximum body temperature at specified time intervals. 

2. Terminology.- 

(1) A clinical electrical thermometer, as covered by this specification is a contact thermometer comprising a temperature probe and an indicating unit, and that is designed to measure human or animal body temperature. 

(2) A temperature probe is the component of a thermometer of which part is applied to a body cavity or tissue with which it establishes thermal equilibrium. It comprises a temperature sensor with associated parts including coverage, seals, inner leads, and connecting plug, where appropriate. 

Notes: 

1. A body or tissue may be the mouth (sublingual), rectum, or armpit. 2. The part of the probe in contact with a body cavity or tissue is called the ‘applied part’. 

3. An indicating unit is the component of a thermometer that process the output signal of the temperature sensor and displays the measured temperature.

Sample chapter- Top 100 Indian Innovations (2024)

 Read the sample chapter with the list of Top 100.

WIPO Intellectual Propert Indicators 2024

 Resident Indian patent owners cross 50%.

Illustrated cases of Resident Indian patent owners:

https://www.amazon.in/dp/B0DK5LWNST

(Source- WIPO)

Innovation Yearbook (2024) released

 

Links - http://motguru.com/

Guidelines for import of live seaweeds into India

 The Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying has notified the Guidelines for import of live seaweeds into India. These guidelines seek to ensure biosecurity and protect domestic marine ecosystems. The guidelines were notified on October 21, 2024.

India’s History with Seaweed

India boasts a diverse range of approximately 844 seaweed species. Among these, red algae like Gelidiella acerosa, Gracilaria edulis, G. crassa, G. foliifera, and G. verrucosa are cultivated for agar production. Brown algae such as Sargassum spp., Turbinaria spp., and Cystoseira trinodis are utilized to produce alginates and liquid seaweed fertilizers.

What do the new guidelines cover?

The new guidelines outline specific conditions for importing live seaweed, including mandatory permits and phytosanitary certificates. The import of certain seaweed species will be restricted to prevent the introduction of invasive species and diseases.

Imported seaweed will be subjected to rigorous quarantine procedures, including inspection, testing, and potential fumigation or disinfection. The government is taking steps to minimize the risk of introducing harmful pathogens and diseases that could impact domestic seaweed cultivation and marine environments.

The government aims to promote domestic seaweed cultivation and reduce reliance on imports.

Rationale for New Regulations

Seaweed can harbor various diseases and pests that can harm marine ecosystems.

Additionally, strict import regulations will help protect the domestic seaweed industry from competition from foreign-sourced seaweed. As per the recent estimate by CMFRI, India has the potential to produce around 9.7 million tonnes of seaweed per year, while the current seaweed production is only 34 thousand tonnes.

(Source: https://www.legalitysimplified.com/guidelines-for-import-of-live-seaweeds-into-india/

TOP 100 INDIAN INNOVATIONS (2024)

 

This is the third publication of the Innovation Yearbook series. The first edition- Top 100 Indian Innovations (2022) provided 100 answers to the question- Is India innovative? And with the next 100 profiled in 2023, the Innovation Yearbook has been accepted as the most authentic reference volume on Indian Innovations. With the current volume, the count goes to 300 Indian innovations. In addition to serving as a refrence book, we hope the innovation yearbook series will be widely distributed in the libraries, to inform & excite the students. Each volume explains technology trends, patent status, innovation merits, and the personal background of each innovator. This type of comprehensive information is not available to seekers in any textbook or social media We received nearly 1000 nominations, directly or indirectly, and thank all innovators & stakeholders for helping us in this task. A hundred innovations are selected from out-of-the-sourced documents. For selection, equal weight is given to ‘innovator profile’ and ‘innovation merit’.

To supplement information received along with recommendations/ nominations, additional details are collected from publicly available documents on the net. Photos of inventors/ founders are taken from their LinkedIn profiles which are also cited in select cases. The photo on the cover page is provided by Zen Technologies.

Editors

• Aynampudi.Subbarao.
• KVSP Rao,
• Sachinn Aggarwal
• Raman Teja Venigalla

Links: 

https://www.amazon.in/dp/B0DK5LWNST

https://notionpress.com/read/top-100-indian-innovations-2024?

https://www.flipkart.com/top-100-indian-innovations-2024/p/itm35c79de263d37?

Innovation, Competition and Ambition by Naushad Forbes

 

Source: Naushad Forbes ndforbes@forbesmarshall.com Co-Chairman Forbes Marshall, Past President CII, Chairman of Centre for Technology Innovation and Economic Research and Ananta Aspen Centre. His book, The Struggle and the Promise has been published by HarperCollins. (Published in Business Standard dated 19th September 2024)

Innovation Yearbook

Nominate Indian Innovations for the Innovation Yearbook 2024

 

India's spending on technology imports- more or less??

Technology imports are an indication of technology diffusion and technology absorption capability. Like Indis's R&D spending, the figures on technology imports do not tell the full story.

CTIER HandbookCTIER Handbook: Technology and Innovation in India 2023 is comprehensive with the above limitations.

From the report:

Based on firm level data5 available for industry, the figure above shows a steady increase for technology payments (that includes royalty and technical fees)6 between 2017-18 and 2020-21. India’s total technology payments on the other hand as reported by the RBI has seen a steady increase over the same period.7 There has been a drop in the number of firms over the five years for whom technology payments data is available. It is unclear whether the difference between the industry level data and the aggregate data has been entirely due to unavailability of firm level data. Currently, a breakdown of RBI’s technology payments data by industry is unavailable. Furthermore, it is also difficult to discern from the aggregate level data how much of the payments were towards patented technologies by higher technology or knowledge intensive firms and how much of it may have been towards payments for copyrights and trademarks.

Global Innovators of Indian Origin (2023)

 Global innovators of Indian origin

• 1.    Acoustography- Dr. Jaswinder Singh Sandhu, USA
• 2.    Bio surfactants-TeeGene Biotech. UK
• 3.    Coal Science- Dr. Hardarshan Singh Valia, USA
• 4.    Carrier Gas Extraction technology-Gradiant corporation, USA
• 5.    Computer Science- Raj Reddy, USA
• 6.    Flash memory-Micron Technology,USA
• 7.    Green Steel- Veena Sahazwalla, Australia
• 8.    Nanocomposite Dental Materials- Sumita Mitra, USA
• 9.    Regrowth of Bones- Nina Tandon, EpiBone, USA
• 10. Rotimatic- Zimplistic Pte , Singapore
• 11. Tiny Robots- Prof Vijay Kumar, USA
• 12. Water Technology Visionary- Anil Jha, USA
• 13. Wearable Sweat sensor- EnLiSense , USA
• 14. Wearable and reusable outpatient ambulatory ECG monitoring products- NimbleHeart, USA

Read Their stories: https://www.academia.edu/120223468/Global_Innovators_of_Indian_Origin_2023

1. Acoustography- Dr. Jaswinder Singh Sandhu, USA 2. Bio surfactants-TeeGene Biotech. UK 3. Coal Science- Dr. Hardarshan Singh Valia, USA 4. Carrier Gas Extraction technology-Gradiant corporation, USA omputer Science- Raj Reddy, USA 6. Flash memory-Micron Technology,USA 7. Green Steel- Veena Sahazwalla, Australia 8. Nanocomposite Dental Materials- Sumita Mitra, USA 9. Regrowth of Bones- Nina Tandon, EpiBone, USA 10. Rotimatic- Zimplistic Pte , Singapore 11. Tiny Robots- Prof Vijay Kumar, USA 12. Water Technology Visionary- Anil Jha, USA 13. Wearable Sweat sensor- EnLiSense , USA 14. Wearable and reusable outpatient ambulatory ECG monitoring products- NimbleHeart, US 2. Bio surfactants-TeeGene Biotech. UK 3. Coal Science- Dr. Hardarshan Singh Valia, USA 4. Carrier Gas Extraction technology-Gradiant corporation, USA 5. Computer Science- Raj Reddy, USA 6. Flash memory-Micron Technology,USA 7. Green Steel- Veena Sahazwalla, Australia 8. Nanocomposite Dental Materials- Sumita Mitra, USA 9. Regrowth of Bones- Nina Tandon, EpiBone, USA 10. Rotimatic- Zimplistic Pte , Singapore 11. Tiny Robots- Prof Vijay Kumar, USA 12. Water Technology Visionary- Anil Jha, USA 13. Wearable Sweat sensor- EnLiSense , USA 14. Wearable and reusable outpatient ambulatory ECG monitoring products- NimbleHeart, US

Papers and patents are becoming less disruptive over time

 Read the thought-provoking article by Michael Park1 , Erin Leahey2 & Russell J. Funk.

Abstract:

Theories of scientifc and technological change view discovery and invention as endogenous processes1,2 , wherein previous accumulated knowledge enables future progress by allowing researchers to, in Newton’s words, ‘stand on the shoulders of giants’3–7 . Recent decades have witnessed exponential growth in the volume of new scientifc and technological knowledge, thereby creating conditions that should be ripe for major advances8,9 . Yet contrary to this view, studies suggest that progress is slowing in several major felds10,11. Here, we analyse these claims at scale across six decades, using data on 45 million papers and 3.9 million patents from six large-scale datasets, together with a new quantitative metric—the CD index12—that characterizes how papers and patents change networks of citations in science and technology. We fnd that papers and patents are increasingly less likely to break with the past in ways that push science and technology in new directions. This pattern holds universally across felds and is robust across multiple diferent citation- and text-based metrics1,13–17. Subsequently, we link this decline in disruptiveness to a narrowing in the use of previous knowledge, allowing us to reconcile the patterns we observe with the ‘shoulders of giants’ view. We fnd that the observed declines are unlikely to be driven by changes in the quality of published science, citation practices or feld-specifc factors. Overall, our results suggest that slowing rates of disruption may refect a fundamental shift in the nature of science and technology.

Compulsory Licensing of Trade Secrets

 The Law Commission (LC) recently released its report no. 289- “Trade Secret and Economic Espionage”. (Part 1, Part 2and Part 3). SpiceIP has posted on this , some points:

The LC report noted the failure of attempts to get companies to voluntarily license TS during COVID-19. As a result, it proposed a separate section in the Protection of Trade Secrets Act, 2024 (‘Draft Bill’) for CL of TS. Certain key features of the provision are- 

• The Government can issue CL for use of TS to third parties or the Government in a situation of public emergency which involves substantial public interest. 
• The recipient of the TS will be duty-bound to not disclose confidential information during or after the expiry of the license. 
• The Government can terminate the license after such a public emergency has ceased to exist. 

The LC has sought to balance the public interest with the interest of a licensor by narrowly construing ‘disclosure’ to mean disclosure only to a third party under strict obligations of confidentiality. It does not mandate public disclosure of the TS since the commercial value of the information derives from its secrecy. 

India GCC Trends

 

 

Download report:  https://community.nasscom.in/communities/nasscom-insights/india-gcc-trends-quarterly-analysis-q4cy2023

EFTA-India Free Trade Agreement and Patents Rules Amendment: Compromising Public Accountability and Transparency in the Indian Patent System

 Recently, India and a group of 4 European countries- Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland (EFTA) signed a Trade Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) on a variety of trade related issues, including intellectual property rights. Significantly, the agreement requires India to make substantive changes to its provision obligating a patent applicant to furnish information about their foreign applications corresponding to their application in India. 

 Weakening Section 8 risks patent quality, discourages accurate disclosure of information about the relevant foreign applications, harming consumers.

Hence, it is crucial for us to reconsider the patent rules, taking into account the altered circumstances brought about by the TEPA agreement, which introduces Section 25(1)(h) as an opposition ground and necessitates enabling an active implementation of Section 64(1)(m). Our recommendation is to amend Rule 12, to include a sworn affidavit that all foreign patent prosecutions and their statuses, as updated to the patent office, are conclusive and comprehensive to the best of the knowledge of inventors and right holders. A rule can be introduced, whereby giving false or suppressing information under the affidavit could attract unliquidated damages for loss of time and resources of the patent office. This will ensure that if the company was aware of certain foreign patent proceedings but failed to disclose them to the Patent Office, a mental element can be assumed through an affidavit by default.

It’s crucial to uphold the safety net established by the pioneers of our patent law to balance the rights of the holder with the public’s interests. This is especially vital as technology advances rapidly while the law struggles to keep up.

(source: spicyip- https://spicyip.com/2024/04/efta-india-free-trade-agreement-and-patents-rules-amendment-compromising-public-accountability-and-transparency-in-the-indian-patent-system.html

AI in healthcare

 

 

Integrating AI into healthcare offers profound benefits, not just in economic terms but also in enhancing the quality and efficiency of patient care. This paper articulately presents a multidimensional view of AI's impact, balancing economic savings against improvements in healthcare delivery and outcomes. As healthcare continues to evolve, embracing AI becomes essential for addressing current challenges and shaping the future of healthcare services.

Paper:  Dr. (Prof.) Narendra Nath Khanna, Mahesh Maindarkar, PhD, Vijay Viswanathan, Jose Fernandes E Fernandes, Sudip Paul, Mrinalini Bhagawati, Puneet Ahluwalia, Zoltan Ruzsa, Aditya Sharma, Raghu Kolluri, and et al. 2022. "Economics of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare: Diagnosis vs. Treatment" Healthcare 10, no. 12: 2493. DOI: 10.3390/healthcare10122493

Report card (2015-2020) of PRISM

 PRISM is an upgraded version implemented by DSIR.

Report:  https://www.dsir.gov.in/sites/default/files/2023-09/Impact_Study_Report_2015-2020h.pdf

 

CII Industrial Awards 2024

 NOMINATIONS OPEN

Patent strategy:Global innovators of Indian origin and Resident Indian Innovators

Indian Government has taken several policy measures to boost patenting by resident Indians including faculty researchers, scientists working in public funded research institutes and independent innovators. The results are encouraging and lays the ground for next level of journey. This paper gives few examples of `Gobal Innovators of Indian Origin’ and `Resident Indian Innovators’ to explain the pathway to global excellence.

Paper:  https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4754395

Padma awardees- Scientists, Grasroot innovators, Farmers

 SCIENTISTS

Dr Ravi Prakash Singh, alumnus of GPB, (Genetics and Plant Breeding), Institute of Agricultural Sciences BHU has been awarded with the prestigious Padma Shri award for his outstanding contributions to Science & Engineering. As an eminent *Wheat Scientist*, Ravi Prakash Singh has pioneered high-yield wheat varieties, positively impacting millions across the globe.

Dr. Narayan Chakraborty, the 2024 Padma Shri awardee, is a name synonymous with groundbreaking research in arsenic toxicity.As a Visiting Professor in the Post-Graduate Department of Zoology at Maulana Azad College, Kolkata, and a Scientific Consultant and Director at the West Bengal Biotech Development Corporation, Dr. Chakraborty’s expertise has been instrumental in shaping policies and interventions to address arsenic contamination.

Dr. Ram Chet Chaudhary, awarded the Padma Shri, is celebrated for his pioneering work in agriculture, particularly in developing Kalanamak rice varieties. Kalanamak rice, an aromatic and nutritious variety native to Uttar Pradesh, owes its resurgence to Dr. Chaudhary’s efforts. From cataloging and conserving various strains to developing high-yielding varieties through hybridization, his work has been pivotal in saving Kalanamak rice from extinction.

Dr. Shailesh Nayak, the recipient of the prestigious Padma Shree, is a luminary in the field of oceanography. He pioneered India's first automated Tsunami Warning System, significantly bolstering the nation's disaster response capabilities.As the Director of the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), he conceptualized, installed, and operationalized this crucial system, enhancing India’s capabilities in disaster management and response.

Dr. Eklabya Sharma, awarded the Padma Shri, is an esteemed ecologist with over four decades of experience in sustainable mountain development, particularly in the Himalayan region.

Prof Ram Chander Sihag, who has been selected for the Padma Shri award, has made remarkable contributions in the field of beekeeping in the country. Prof Sihag, a retired agriculture scientist, began his career with Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, in 1979.

Dr Hari Om (65), who has been working in the field of natural farming, will be conferred with the Padma Shri award in the science and engineering category. Dr Hari Om, along with Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat, had taken up natural farming at Gurukul in Kurukshetra.

GRASS ROOT INNOVATORS

Shri C V Raju and Shri Moa Subong, grassroots innovators from Andhra Pradesh and Nagaland, respectively, are amongst the 106 Padma Shri awardees announced for the year 2023. While the awards recognized Shri C V Raju’s efforts of reviving the traditional art of making Etikoppaka toys by adoption of eco-friendly technologies, Shri Moa Subong will be awarded for S&T based innovative ways of creating Naga folk music.

FARMERS

Read more: https://eng.ruralvoice.in/national/farmers-honoured-with-padma-awards-for-promoting-agriculture-despite-all-odds.html?

This happens only in India- Guidelines for coaching institutes

(Source: https://youtu.be/djDF4AkTw4I?si=SdIvP6RZ6VLgumNy)

The guidelines were prepared as a response to issues related to the private coaching centers more so in the context of rising student suicide cases, fire incidents, lack of facilities as well as methodologies of teaching have been engaging the attention of the Government from time to time.

The controversy is guidelines state that coaching centers shall not enroll students below 16 years of age or that student enrolment should be only after the secondary school examination. Most of the students are enrolled in class to prepare for competitive exams after XII.

Curious case of Kota:

Till the 90s, Kota was struggling as an industrial city and the final nail on the coffin came with the closing of various units of JK Synthetics in 1997 due to financial problems. Vinod Kumar (VK) Bansal, a mechanical engineer employed with JK Synthetics had already started looking for an alternative career and began tutoring class 7 students in 1981 and gradually started taking in class 10 & 12 students as well. He tasted success in 1985 when his first student “cracked” the IIT-JEE (no known as JEE Advanced) getting admission into one of the hallowed Indian Institutes of Technology. This is how “Bansal Classes” came into being in 1991. There are more than 150 coaching institutes in the town that are vying for the best students. Most of them are among the best coaching institutes in India that admit students only after they clear an entrance exam! Imagine the irony – you’ve got to clear an entrance exam to join a course that again prepares you to clear another entrance exam!

Preparation in Korea:

Koreans consider the Suneung exam as the first step (and also almost final) for an individual to step into the labor market. Exam results not only determine which university you will go to, but also determine career and friends for your future life. Most of the teachers here think that if the Korean students fail the Suneung exam, they'll fail the rest of their life. In Korea, passing a university will be a ticket to help you have the opportunity to work in big companies. Therefore, most Koreans believe that if you pass this exam, your future will be really bright. To reach that "bright future", Koreans also have to practice hard throughout their school life, especially high school students. They have to get up early in the morning to go to school, spending about 10 hours there. When they leave school, they all go to tutoring classes and exam centers until 10pm and 11pm. Then they come back home and self-study until 1 or 2 am. On average, Korean high school students study for about 16 hours in one day to prepare for the Suneung exam. 

Especially Koreans have a strict concept about sleeping hours: 

• Sleep 3 hours, you have a chance to enter SKY schools (top 3 universities in Korea: Seoul National University, Korea University and Yonsei University)

• Sleep 4 hours, you can get into other universities,

• Sleep 5 hours, don't dream of going to college.

Indian parents and students are not wrong in embracing private tuition. Is there any alternative?

ICMR invites suggestions for revision of National Essential Diagnostics List

Since 2018, the WHO recommends the development and implementation of National Essential Diagnostics List (NEDL) to facilitate availability of In-Vitro Diagnostics (IVDs) across the various tiers of the healthcare pyramid, facilities with or without a laboratory onsite. The Indian Council of Medical Research released the first National Essential Diagnostics List (NEDL) in 2019 to make the availability of diagnostics an essential component of the health care system.

Since considerable time has elapsed following the release of the first NEDL in 2019, ICMR invites suggestions for revision of the existing list i.e. addition or deletion of diagnostic tests, from all the relevant stakeholders.

The applicant should submit suggestions on addition or deletion of diagnostics tests to the current list using the Google form https://forms.gle/93Rn586J3Pksv9Wc6 latest by February 29, 2024.

Report from Australia recommends Demandside Innovation policy

Why $30b in business innovation support is not working?

This is addressed in the report. 

Recommendations and policy considerations 

Demand-side drivers and the need to innovate 

1. Effectively identify businesses with the need to innovate and focus interventions on the barriers specific to that sector. Actions could include: 

1.1 Selectively support businesses with the need and risk appetite to innovate to deliver novel products and/or services for growing domestic and international markets. 

1.2 Design incentive programs that target businesses and industries critical to Australia’s industry policy objectives and align business and funding risk-taking in both direction and magnitude. For example, design funds and guidelines to filter applications based on business motivation and ambition, and provide advice, connections and resources specific to their needs to de-risk their opportunity. 

1.3 Focus government interventions on businesses seeking to service growing export market opportunities and transitioning internal markets with innovative new-to-market products or services that over time will contribute to improving Australia’s economic complexity. 

1.4 Effectively aggregate demand for innovation through coordination of whole-of-government policies, such as the transition to a net-zero economy, and the development of sovereign advanced manufacturing capabilities required to meet domestic and global needs. This will create competitive, dynamic markets for innovation in priority areas.

Further reading on Demand side innovation policy: