Devon Innovations- product development partner for Medical products

Devon Innovations based in Bangalore is a product development company with proven expertise in developing a wide range of medical surgical  products in field of Urology, Gastroenterology and Gynaecology. For OEMs they offer a full service in product development in related fields.Devon Innovations operates out of an ISO 9001:2008 and ISO 13485:2003 certified manufacturing facility and the products are CE marked.

Nathan Myhrvold at TEDMED 2010

Ram Charan's 8 sutras for Business Leaders.

1. finding a central idea for business that meets customer demands and that makes money.
2.detecting patterns in a complex world to put the business on the offensive.
3.getting the right people together with the right behaviour and right information to make better, faster decisions and achieve business results..
4.calibrating people based on their actions, decisions and behaviours  and matching them to the non-negotiables of the job.
5.getting highly competent  ,high-ego leaders to coordinate seamlessly .
6. determining the set of goals that balances what the business can become with what it can realistically achieve.
7. defining the path and aligning resources , actions and energy to accomplish the goals.
8. anticipating and responding to social pressures you do not control but that can affect your business.
Read more: http://www.ram-charan.com/knowhow.htm

Technopark incubates 100 start-ups

An important milestone is reached when Technopark Technology Business Incubator signed agreement with 100th incubating firm   TRANDMS Media & Technology Pvt. Ltd.  The national goal of incubating 1000 technology start-ups appear feasible. Technopark is located in Kerala, not associated with entrepreneurial motivation also it is not located in any IIT or engineering college.

Is it  due to initial success (Mob Me) and social network of young enterprises? 

Innovation- Indian Vs Europe

Innovation Union Scoreboard 2010 released by EU compares the innovation performance of EU 27 member states with US, Japan, China, Brazil, Russia. Abstract on Indian innovations:

For both the US and Japan innovation performance is well above that of the EU27. The results also show that the EU27 has a strong lead compared to each of the BRIC countries. The performance lead towards India has remained stable over the last 5 years and that towards Russia has slightly increased. China and Brazil are both catching-up towards the EU27 where the rate of relative improvement for Brazil is more modest than that for China.

The EU27 is performing better than India in most indicators . In Knowledge intensive services exports India is performing better. Overall there is a clear performance lead in favour of the EU27. But this lead is declining, as India’s innovation performance has grown at a faster rate than of the EU27. India has been decreasing the
performance gap in 4 indicators (Most cited publications, Business R&D expenditure, Public-private co-publications and License and patent revenues) and has experienced a decrease in its performance lead in Exports of medium-high and high-tech products and Knowledge-intensive services exports. The EU27 has increased its lead in Tertiary education, Public R&D expenditure, PCT patents and PCT patents in societal challenges.

Innovation Tournament 2011

Wipro Technologies and Knowledge@Wharton, have teamed up for the second year to conduct a global “Innovation Tournament“. Inspired by the book Innovation Tournaments by Wharton professors Christian Terwiesch and Karl Ulrich, this tournament will require participants to create solutions by which society can implement green technologies as well as customer-centric work processes. The tournament is open to all individuals and/or groups from around the world who wish to submit a solution for consideration.

The deadline for submissions to the Innovation Tournament is March 7, 2011.

Carbon Capture and Newtralisation (CCN) technologies from Cuycha

Cuyha Innovation Oy was founded in 2004 by renowned nuclear physicist Matti Nurmia to manage and develop his inventions. Most of Dr. Nurmia’s inventions relate to energy production and environmental issues.Dr. Nurmia’s most notable invention is the neutralization of CO2 backed by several patents.The firm is looking for partners for joint development and commercialisations. Technologically these projects can be divided into eight categories.

1. CCN-Project: carbon capture & neutralization.
2. Oxygen-Project: oxygen-enriched-air production.
3. CHP-Project: better power-& CHP-plant efficiency.
4. WindTurbine-Project: a more efficient and higher wattage design.
5. Generator-Project:  a variable generator eradicating the need for a transmission.
6. Desalination-Project: the production of drinking water from sea water.
7. Snow/Water-Cannon-Project: a high-volume howitzer for water or snow.
8. Other Projects:
   • Paper-machine innovations.
   • Electricity from tidal-power
   • Electric cars and lithium production.
   • "ThinkTank"-projects.

2011 R&D 100 Awards

Nominations for the 2011 awards are now being accepted. Technologies introduced in the calendar year 2010 are eligible for the 2011 awards.Last date: 28th Feb 2011.

Read about the R&D 100 Awards and application process.

 10 Most Common R&D 100 Questions

How To Win An R&D 100

Instructions and Entry Form

contact RDeditors@advantagemedia.com.

CTNS- validation of Functional Foods

Functional foods are defined  as foods and food components that provide a health benefit beyond basic nutrition (for the intended population). Examples may include conventional foods; fortified, enriched or enhanced foods; and dietary supplements. These substances provide essential nutrients often beyond quantities necessary for normal maintenance, growth, and development, and/or other biologically active components that impart health benefits or desirable physiological effects. 

Recognizing the tremendous health benefits offered by functional foods, the Institute of Food Technologists commissioned an expert panel to review the available scientific literature related to functional food development. The panel’s report is divided into nine sections: Definitions, Introduction, Food and Genes, Current Legal Standards, Scientific Standards, Policy Limitations, Bringing Functional Foods to Market, Role of Research, and Conclusions. Copies of the report are available at www.ift.org. 

Technological Centre for Nutrition and Health (CTNS), Spain offers services such as, validation of functional foods, from selecting the most appropriate ingredient to evaluating the biological efficacy of the functional food, complying with European Regulation 1924/2006.

The market for Nutraceutical exports  to US and Europe is estimated at $75 billion by 2013.

SciTech Patent Art (SPA)

SciTech Patent Art (SPA) is an  IP services organization supporting R&D scientists as well as patent attorneys, in business for over 8 years now and serving many Fortune 500 companies, law firms, VC firms and research institutions. SPA has advanced science/engineering graduates who conduct in-depth patent/publication analyses on various topics of interest to clients. They help  identify technology white spaces, conduct freedom-to-operate analyses, assess novelty, map technology/claim trends, draft patent specifications, analyze foreign language patents, and much more.  Current strengths cover chemistry, chemical engineering, electronics, electrical engineering, polymer science, material science, life sciences, biotech, food science, biomedical engineering and so on. 

SciTech’s exemplary Patent Trackers demonstrate how patent analytics can be used to source information related to technology and market. See the illustrations.

Creative Minds- Innovators cooperative in A.P

After waiting for a very long period for investors and business partners, the grass root innovators of A.P realised that self help is the best help. They grouped together with mentor J.Gurgaprasad and formed a cooperative 'Creative Minds' to market their innovations. The innovators work as innovators, producers and marketing wizards. Typical is case of innovator Linga Bhamam, innovator of Iron running on LPG. 

Linga Brahmam (28) is a non matriculate in a small village in Warangal dist. His family lived on making brass vessels. Due to the advent of Plastic, their need in the villages had drastically reduced and they had no other skills to earn living. Brahma is creative and always wanted to do something in life. He once saw a tailor using an electric iron being heated on a gas stove in the village and using it for ironing of clothes as most of the time in the villages power supply was not available. Brahmam thought of combining the gas and the iron and after a year developed an alloy which burns and becomes red hot in a very short time once the gas flames surround it. He made a 8.5 kg iron for washermen operated by LPG. This was a very user friendly, cheaper and least cumbersome solution to the washermen over the present electric or coal based iron. 10gms of gas is sufficient for one hour of continuous ironing.

Contact: Creative Minds, 1-1-336/64, vivek nagar colony, Chikkadapally, Hyderabad 500 002

creativemindsap@gmail.com

GEI Industrail Systems for outsourcing engineering services in Heat Exchanger

GEI Industrial Systems, based in Bhopal specializes in heat transfer technology offering services in the areas of Heat Exchanger & Condenser Services, 33 KV / 11 KV Switchyards, Switchgear Applications and Transportation Systems.Client list includes:

• Dresser Rand, USA
• General Electric, USA
• G.S. Engineering, Dubai
• Hanover Middle East, Oman
• Oman Refinery Co., Oman
• Samsung Engineering Co. Ltd., Korea
• Solar Turbine, USA
• Transturbo Engineering Sdn Bhd, Malaysia
• Veco Engineering, Abudhabi 

Details: http://www.geiind.com/company.html#operations

WiLAN

WiLAN, founded in 1992, is a leading technology innovation and licensing company.  WiLAN has licensed its intellectual property to over 220 companies worldwide.  WiLAN licenses patented inventions in the following technology areas:

• Wireless technologies
• Wireline technologies
• V-Chip technologies

Envia systems

Envia systems , an early stage start-up, has developed proprietary cathode material  ( High capacity Manganese rich ) which promises to reduce cost of Lithium Ion batteries. The technology was jointly developed with Argonne national lab.The start-up received funding from DOE and recently from GM Venture fund. Dr. Sujeet Kumar founding CEO of Envia Systems Inc is a product of BHU (1990) , Ph.D. in Materials Science from the University of Rochester and is the inventor of over 40 patents.


A battery component manufacturer can start small but faces more hurdles.Will Kumar change the rules of the game? 

India's capabilities in fighter plane design

If aviation manufacturing is divided into eight key areas—airframes, propulsion, pneumatics, flight control, avionics, fuel, electrical power and hydraulics—India’s competence today varies considerably. Through a combination of domestic R&D and learning-by-doing in licensed production, India has slowly acquired expertise in pneumatics, fuel systems, electrical power, and hydraulics. It has gained proficiency in the manufacture of airframes and structures, though it still lags behind in advanced composites and in the development of digital flight control systems. India has yet to master propulsion, especially high-performance jet engines, which are among the most difficult technologies in the world, as well as avionics systems development and integration, which, again, remain among the most recondite capabilities,both at the level of hardware and source code.

Source: Ashley J. Tellis presentation at Carnegie

Farm Innovators 2010

Apart from innovations and scientific package of practices developed and transferred from R&D institutes, innovations in the form of grassroot level technologies and methodologies developed by some of the innovative farmers and rural youth are benefiting widely to farmers and have also been accepted across the system. Such innovative technologies and methodologies are largely confined to some locations. Benefits accrued from such innovative ideas need to be widely shared across the country. And the scientific talents behind such grassroot level innovations need to be encouraged and recognized. Valuable ideas and techniques generated by them largely go unnoticed owing to lack of proper documentation and opportunities for wider dissemination. An initial and pioneering attempt in this direction has been made by the Division of Agricultural Extension, ICAR, to document such innovations developed across the country in the form of this publication “Farm Innovators – 2010” for the benefit of various stakeholders.139 innovations were finalized under eight thematic areas—Crop improvement (13); Crop production (16); Crop diversification (8); Crop protection (14); Farm machinery (61); Water Management (8); Live stock and fisheries management (10) and Post harvest technology and value-addition (9)

Down load report from : http://www.icar.org.in/node/2248

JWT: 100 Things to Watch in 2011

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

JWT: 100 Things to Watch in 2011

View more presentations from JWTIntelligence.

Veol Labs-converting ideas to Medical equipment

Veol Labs is a contract product development company, focused exclusively on medical devices. The company was formed with a purpose of providing quality medical devices development servicesthat would (i) provide our clients with superior but cost effective medical device expertise & (ii) partner with our clients to improve the lives of the people who would be using their products.

The team comprises world class professionals who are specialists in the Contract Design, Development, Validation and Manufacture of Class II and Class III therapeutic, diagnostic and surgical devices.Mangesh Patankar, with years of experience at Johnson & Johnson started this venture.Products developed include Heart Monitor, Stress Urinary incontinence, Surgical Stapler.

India Fast Growth 25

AllWorld Network has created  “The India Fast Growth 25” uncovering the next wave of vetted, test-driven growth entrepreneurs from India.As a group, the India 25 grew an astonishing 481% between 2007 and 2009, much higher than other AllWorld Rankings in the Middle East and Africa.  These 25 emerging companies created 6,903 jobs since inception; most expect to grow 50% or more in the next six months, and the majority plan to start another company in the next two years.  Speaking to the global orientation of the companies, almost 50% of their revenues are generated from outside India.

• The winners for India 25 represent 10 Industries, and the top 5 itself indicate the diverse emerging high growth industries of India which are Information Technology, Travel and Tourism, Media and Entertainment, Agriculture and HealthCare.
  
• The number 1 company is Redbus.in, one stop shop for bus ticketing service across India, growing at 4823% between 2007 and 2009.  Co-Founded by Phanindra Sama and Charan Padmaraju, their vision is to maintain their market leadership position in next 5 years.
  
• India 25 represents 8 cities with Mumbai and Bangalore represented by 6 companies each.
  
• The Ranked Companies average of 650 million Rupees in revenue in 2009, and 279 employees, with the smallest applicant having 23 million Rupees in revenue and the largest close to 3.8 billion Rupees. The Companies to Watch are much smaller.
  
• The average cost of start Company was 9.1 million Rupees, 63% of the companies were self financed at the inception.
  
• The founders were an average of 28 years old when they started their company. The youngest founder was 17 when he started his business.
  
• India 25 also showcases the emerging focus on R&D in India, 40% of companies invest over 10% of the revenue in R&D activities.

PWC Medical Technology Innovation Scorecard

PwC’s Medical Technology Innovation Scorecard: The race for global leadership assesses nine countries’ capacity and capability for medical technology innovation: Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Israel, Japan, United Kingdom, United States. 

On a scale of 1 to 9, USA tops the list with score of 7.1, followed by Germany (5.4), UK(5.4), France (5.0), Japan (4.8), Israel (4.6), China (3.4) , Brazil (2.7) and India (2.7). India scores poorly on Innovative resources , Innovative output, Technology in market. India has 700 medical device companies as against 4,000 in China, India has 137 researchers per million of population while as China (only next to USA) has 1070 researchers per million.

We have a long way to catch up with China.

Breaking the Guinness world record

Memorandum submitted by Indian Innovators Association in response to Consultation Paper on Encouraging Telecom equipment manufacturing in India

RECOMMENDATIONS
Our recommendations on R&D/ Innovation take into consideration the lessons learned from earlier attempts supporting R&D/ Innovation of Indian Telecom Equipment manufacturers. Grants for start-ups are available from TePP program of DSIR, conditional grants available for pre-commercial stage R&D from TDDP program of DSIR and soft loans are available from TDB of DST for technology commercialization. None of the programs are sector specific.
a) Lessons from R&D projects ( handled by A.S.Rao at DSIR)

• Technology absorption ignores technology advances

A public sector undertaking in Chennai had successfully improved Teleprinter with ruggedized design but Fax entered as disruptive technology.

• Developing components while systems change

Technically challenging component innovations like ASICs for Line card /Conference card / STD-PCO had not generated revenues, as system level technology changes made these components redundant.

• Targeting current price leaves the firm cash less

A Bangalore based firm took up development of ADSL, starting from circuit design but by the time product is ready with test approval, Chinese prices crashed to below BOM cost.

• Technology Life Cycles do not follow predictable time table

Delhi based firm developed Multi Lingual Pager in several Indian languages but market never developed to the same scale as China.

• Incremental innovations do not matter

Due to limited R&D competence, Time-to-market is disproportionately large in a scenario of shortened Technology Life Cycle.

• Retaining R&D team is a challenge

For completion of any R&D project, there is need for a team of minimum 3 to work together for 3 years. Recruiting and retaining R&D people is a challenge faced by many SME due to disparities with service sector. Many R&D projects had to be short closed.

b) Characteristics of Telecom Innovations
Pathways of innovation adoption & diffusion in Telecom equipment are different from that of innovations for `plug and play’ devices. Standards and Network externalities play a critical role in influencing technology acceptance behavior. Due to Network externalities value of service improves with number of users, standards facilitate diffusion in short period and service firms reach tipping point by exploiting a proven technology riding on a dominant standard. Market economics act as strong disincentive for service players to adopt local innovations as their business model takes technology as a given parameter and not something to be experimented. Customers of telecom innovations need to be incentivized to test and adopt Indian innovations.
c) Issues for consideration regarding the R&D effort:
1. What should be the objective and focus of the R&D effort for the year 2020?
R&D efforts by telecom equipment manufacturers for market introduction in 2020 are visible today as academic papers. In other words, supporting academics now could generate required competencies for telecom equipment manufactures to take relevant R&D in 2020. We recommend large scale extra mural research funding by DST and other agencies giving preference to cross border academic partnerships.
2. Flowing from the above, what should be the objective and focus of the R&D effort for 2015?
IP accessed today will provide building blocks for R&D by manufacturing firms in 2015. We recommend liberal funding to established Indian manufacturers for accessing critical IP with strategic investment in university spin-off firms in USA and Europe. This investment has to be done in start-ups for technologies at fluid stage before emergence of dominant design/ standard.
3. What is the level of ‘Indian Products’ that we should attempt to achieve at the end of 2015 and 2020?
Market decides the winners and target of 10% by 2020 and 5% by 2015 is realistic.
4. What is the broad level of investment required for this effort?
RDDE Investment from Government: Rs 2,000 crores
Investment by VCs and equipment manufacturers: Rs 3,000 crores
5. Which Institutions, whether in the Public or private sector, are best suited to carry out this effort? And why?
For- profit-commercial firms are the most efficient convertors of knowledge to revenues. Others can only be enablers and facilitators.6. What can be the linkages established with Institutions or Indians abroad? Will this reduce time delays?

• Linkages between researchers to take up joint research program.

• Fast track funding of university spin-offs promoted by Indian origin students and faculty without condition of return home.

• Open innovation platform to tap global talent.

7. What should be the role of the Government and the Industry in regard to the R&D effort? In particular, what should be the investment, if any, by the Government?

• Technology Incubation fund: Rs 50 crores ( all by Government as grant)

• Pre-commercial stage technology development: Rs 500 crores (Rs 250 crores by Government as soft loans and matching R&D investment by commercial firms)

• Dedicated Telecom Venture Funds: Rs 2000 crores ( 10 baby funds, TDB investment Rs 1000 crore and VC investment Rs 1000crores)

8. Should an R&D fund be set up? If so, how can the fund be managed effectively to meet its objectives?

• Full collection and utilization of R&D Cess on Imported Technology and USO fund should take care of the needs. While technology is imported in the form of equipment, components, software, consultancy and license, R&D cess is levied only in the case of Joint Ventures with technology license agreement. This needs to be relooked and scope expanded to include all forms of technology imports.

• Though there are existing programs in DSIR, DST, DIT etc, the scope of support is narrow with application process time of 9 to 12 months, not congenial in fast changing technology. Man power costs, IP acquisition costs, market development costs etc are not supported under the existing programs.
• Telecom incubation Fund can be managed by professional bodies like incubator at IIMA to orchestrate the network of all stakeholders. A brief of Telecom Innovation Funnel is attached.

• Start-ups need seed funding and series funding at revenue stage and dedicated VC funds can be established with TDB co-investing 50%. These baby funds for young ventures can be managed by incubators at IIT/ IIITs.

• Established firms do not take equity funds from VCs and they need to be supported at pre-commercial stage with soft loans. In the present circumstances it is inconceivable for an established player to start from research stage. They need to be encouraged to take research from national and international bodies to the market, by adding value. This calls for liberal support to Indian telecom product firms to make strategic investment IP ofuniversity spin-offs in India and outside. Professional organizations like incubator at IIM, Banaglore , where most of equipment manufacturers are located, can manage the funds.

• The customers of telecom equipment need to be provided incentives to test and adopt Indian innovations. Purchase and price preference in public procurement seems out of place though implemented intelligently in USA, EU and China. There can be condition that 10% of equipment sourced is based on Indian IP.

9. What could be the fiscal incentives to be offered by the Government? Should such incentives be linked to any outcome?

• Fiscal incentives for R&D are liberal for profit making firms.

• If investment in Indian incubated start-up is included in tax savings, the public will take care of all investment needs of Indian innovators. Crowd funding is emerging as an alternate mechanism.

• There is need for fiscal incentives to innovation intermediataries, IP trading and bundling houses, Common facilities owners etc.

Discover STARS in ICT area

The pilot program has taken off with 60 students from Tier I technical institutes, IITs,BIT, IIITs. Thanks  to all the IP strategists that have come forward to support the students.


In the next phase the educational cum competition program on innovation processes will be rolled out to Tier-2 technical institutes and  also other areas like Bio-Medical equipment, Pharmacy, Agriculture, Embedded technology.


Stakeholders are invited to join.

Innovation activity in Asia

The 2010 State of Innovation Report is the second annual analysis of 12 key technology areas and their global innovation by the IP Solutions business of Thomson Reuters. The technology areas analyzed within this report are often those with significant volumes of patent activity, according to data in the Derwent World Patents Index® (DWPISM) database from Thomson Reuters.Patent activity is used as a barometer for innovation in this report. To measure patent activity, expert analysts studied the first instance or invention for published patent applications and granted patents in 2010, counting each invention only once, in the country where protection was first sought. Asian countries Japan, Korea and China had significant presence in Satellite Technologies, Alternative Powered vehicles, Smart media, Kitchen appliances,Fermentation , Semi conductor materials and mobile telephony.
Source:http://ip.thomsonreuters.com/InnovationReport2010/L-364963_online.pdf

Indian Innovators Association signs MOU with Helsinki Heke Inventors Association

Indian Innovators Association (IIA) entered into an MOU with Helsinki Heke Inventors Association to bring Indian & Finnish innovators together. IIA , a registered NGO in India and member of international federation, IFIA, has been providing information and mentoring support to Indian Innovators since 1992. Most services are provided free of charge. HEKE is active Innovators Association with large membership. It is expected that this cooperation between Indian Innovators and their Finnish counterparts would result in cross border partnerships bringing Finnish innovations to Indian market and Indian Innovations to EU market.

Energy & Dynamic Braking video

Seizing the White Space: Business Model Innovation for Growth and Renewal

In Seizing the White Space, author Johnson lays out a compelling case for business model innovation as catalyst for robust growth, both through transformation of existing markets- the white spaces within- that every company has and through creation of tomorrows new markets- the white spaces beyond - that many companies find so hard to venture into.
A successful company becomes very good at growing its core.It secures resources, improves existing products and creates new ones, expand markets and increase efficiencies by improving processes, all to extract the most value for its core activities. It also continues to develop and refine the key business rules and metrics that ensure proper execution, establish discipline and exert control through out the organisation. Either explicitly or implicitly the company is operating according to a business model, which defines the way the company delivers value to a set of customers at a profit. What happens when an opportunity arises outside a company core, an opportunity to serve an wholly new customer or an existing customer in a radically new way?


White space- the range of potential activities not defined or addressed by the company's current business model , that is, the opportunities outside its core and beyond its adjacencies that require a different business model to exploit. A business model is a representation of how a business creates and delivers value, both for the customer and the company. The basic architecture underlying all successful business consists of four interdependent elements- Customer Value Proposition (CVP), Key resources, key Processes and Profit formula.


The author contributes significantly to our understanding of CVP- a product , service or combination thereof that helps customers do more effectively , conveniently or affordably a job they have been trying to do. How to maximise a CVP?

• identify an important -job-to-be-done that is poorly satisfied today for a customer.
• devise and develop an offering that does the job better than alternatives at the lowest of appropriate price.

Author highlights importance of behavioural norms  as critical processes. Business rules, bahaviour norms and success metrics connect the elements of a business model and keep the system in proper balance. They ensure that the business repeatedly and predictably deliver the customer value proposition and fulfill the profit formula.


Take home:
do not ask yr customer what he/she needs? find out what they are trying to get done.

Year ends with my papers at SSRN making to the top ten

On the last working day, received news from SSRN:

Your paper, "Timing it Right with Technology Forecasting", was recently listed on SSRN's Top Ten download list for CGN: Management & Strategy Practice (Topic) and HEN: Medical Technology (Sub-Topic). As of 12/30/2010, your paper has been downloaded 27 times. You may view the abstract and download statistics at http://papers.ssrn.com/abstract=1424885.

Your paper, "Covering Patent Infringement Risks in Technology Transfer Agreements", was recently listed on SSRN's Top Ten download list for ERPN: Commercialization (Sub-Topic), ERPN: Uncertainty (Sub-Topic) and PSN: International Trade Policy (Topic). As of 12/30/2010, your paper has been downloaded 194 times. You may view the abstract and download statistics at http://papers.ssrn.com/abstract=1121722.

Your paper, "Corporate Innovations: Lessons from India", was recently listed on SSRN's Top Ten download list for ERPN: Other Firm (Sub-Topic) and PSN: Other Political Economy: Development (Topic). As of 12/30/2010, your paper has been downloaded 145 times. You may view the abstract and download statistics at http://papers.ssrn.com/abstract=1087953.

Your paper, "Technology Acceptance Model for Complex Technologies in a Period of Rapid Catching-Up", was recently listed on SSRN's Top Ten download list for ERPN: High-Tech (Sub-Topic) and ERPN: Innovation (Aggregate) (Sub-Topic). As of 12/30/2010, your paper has been downloaded 279 times. You may view the abstract and download statistics at  
http://papers.ssrn.com/abstract=1016012.

Prof Samir K Brahmachari selected for Nayudamma award for the year 2010

This year's award goes to Prof Brahmachari, DG, CSIR and Secretary DSIR.  Presentation planned at Nayudamma Centre for Development Alternatives, Nellore on 5th January 2011. Citation about Nayudamma on IDRC web page:

The Nayudamma Technology Bank provides easy access and information to technologies supported by IDRC — technologies from the South for the South. This collection, which provides contact names for all the technologies described, is a way of sharing and updating information on technological advancements for international development. 

The technology bank has been named in honour of the late Dr Yelavarthy Nayudamma, a man who dedicated his life to demonstrating how science and technology can and should be used for human benefit. Dr. Nayudamma, who joined the IDRC Board of Governors in 1981, lost his life in the tragic Air India disaster in 1985. 

Dr Nayudamma deeply believed in the concept of "technologies for humanity" and the need to "bring modern science to bear upon the problems and needs of the rural poor." Though internationally recognized as an organic chemist, specializing in the complex polyphenol-protein interactions upon which leather manufacture is based (in 1965 he received the K.G. Naik Gold Medal for his research), Dr Nayudamma was ultimately a practical technologist. As director of the Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI) in Madras from 1958 to 1971, Dr Nayudamma
 
Dr Nayudamma's accomplishments are numerous and varied. It is out of admiration for his vision and in honour of his memory that IDRC has named this bank of technologies for development the Nayudamma Technology Bank. made important contributions to the development of India's leather industry. In 1971, he became director of the Committee on Science and Technology in Developing Countries ( COSTED ), spearheading a movement for the appropriate integration of traditional and emerging technologies. 

Encouraging Telecom Equipment manufacturing in India-TRAI seeks your views

Telecoms services is booming but the expected derived demand for telecoms equipment eludes India based firms.TRAI has brought out a consultancy paper on this and seeks views of stakeholders by 14th January 2011. Issues for consultation:

Research & Development

3.1 What should be the objective and focus of the R&D effort for 2020?

3.2 Flowing from the above, what should be the objective and focus of the R&D effort for 2015?
3.3 What is the level of ‘Indian Products’ that we should attempt to achieve at the end of 2015 and 2020?
3.4 What is the broad level of investment required for this effort?
3.5 Which Institutions, whether in the Public or private sector, are best suited to carry out this effort? And why?
3.6 What can be the linkages established with Institutions or Indians abroad? Will this reduce time delays?
3.7 What should be the role of the Government and the Industry in regard to the R&D effort? In particular, what should be the investment, if any, by the Government?
3.8 Should an R&D fund be set up? If so, how can the fund be managed effectively to meet its objectives?
3.9 What could be the fiscal incentives to be offered by the Government? Should such incentives be linked to any outcome?
Sourcing of Inputs
3.10 What are the components that can be manufactured in the country with due consideration to commercial viability?

3.11 What should be the degree of indigenous manufacture of components that we can reasonably achieve a period of 5/10 years?
3.12 What, do you think, is the feasibility of setting up of commercially viable fabricating units to manufacture chips, ICs?
3.13 Is the Duty on components currently being levied high? If so, on what components can the duty be reduced? What are the financial implications and the corresponding benefits?
3.14 Should electronic Manufacturing service companies be incentivised? If so, how?
Manufacturing of equipment
3.15 Should the concept of mandatory use of Indian products/Indian manufactured products be introduced in the Indian context? If so, can this be introduced immediately or should it be introduced at a later date? If so, by what date?
3.16 What could be the percentage to be stipulated for both these categories?
3.17 What should be, if any, the incentives to be given to individual service providers for use of Indian equipment?
3.18 Likewise, what could be the disincentives, if any, for use of imported equipment? This is compatible with international agreements?
3.19 What could be the duty structure to be imposed on imported goods?

Promoting Domestic Manufacture
3.20 Should a percentage of the Indian market be reserved for the Indian manufacturers? If so, what should be the percentage?
3.21 What, if any, could be the implications of such a step?
Setting up of Special Zones or Telecom Clusters
3.22 What, if any, are the advantages of setting up of clusters for manufacture of Telecom equipment within the country?
3.23 What is the investment required for setting up of such clusters?
3.24 How can the financing of such clusters be best done, based on international experience?
3.25 What would be the lead time required for setting up of such clusters?
3.26 What are the considerations for the location of such clusters?
Testing, Standarisation and Accreditation
3.27 What, in your opinion, would be the best agency to set up and manage such a Common facility/ies?
3.28 What would be the facilities and the level of investment required in such a facility?
3.29 How will such an investment pay for itself?

Funding/FDI
3.30 What, in your opinion is the likely requirement of Capital for companies that could take up the manufacture of telecom equipment?
3.31 What could be the best manner of facilitating availability of capital to such firms?
3.32 Would setting up of Institutions like ITRI be desirable and feasible?
Duties and Levies

3.33 What would you suggest should be the tax structure in respect of imported and indigenous manufacture of telecom equipment, keeping in view the international agreements?

To ensure that Indian Innovators views are given due consideration, Indian Innovators Association is planning to submit its views based on inputs received from innovators and start-ups. Pl send your inputs before 10th January to indiainventsathotmaildotcom

IBM Next 5 in 5 -- 2010

Robert's Rules of Innovation #2: No Risk No Innovation

Graceful Politicians - they still exist. Here is the proof

Braille Phone by Sumit Dagar

Braille Phone , creation of designer Sumit Dagar is at concept stage. He is looking for funds.Details:  http://sumitdagar.tumblr.com/#897747753

Mosquito Traps

Grooming bio-entrepreneurs in Gujarat

Gujarat is fast emerging as the favoured industrial state of the country and Gujarat based entrepreneurs are taking interest in promoting valued added enterprises.Pharma , Medical equipment and other health care solutions are opportunity areas with market accepted technologies on offer from national and international organisations.

This ten month training program for entrepreneurs is planned for launch in March at EDI, Ahmedabad with NSTEDB, GSBTM, FMC, GITCO, SkyQuest as knowledge partners.The uniqueness of the program is that entrepreneurs spend first four months on scouting/ identifying/ evaluating technologies on offer and thereafter proceed to build business plans for the technologies selected by them.

Details contact:  kmbalajee@msmefoundation.org 

Mulago Foundation- funding scalable social enterprises

Mulago is a private foundation designed and built to carry on the life work of Rainer Arnhold.Rainer, a San Francisco pediatrician, taught medicine at Mulago Hospital in Uganda, and he named his own under-the-radar charitable foundation after the hospital that he loved. After Rainer’s untimely death in 1993, his brother Henry Arnhold established the Foundation in its current form.

Low cost infant warmer Embrace is one of the projects supported by the foundation. In 2007Jane Chen, Linus Liang, Rahul Panicker, and Nag Murty, all graduate design and business students at Stanford University, developed the Embrace infant warmer, which uses an innovative phase-change material to regulate a baby’s temperature and costs less than $100 to make. It requires no electricity, has no moving parts, is portable, and is safe and intuitive to use. After graduating from Stanford, Jane, Linus, Rahul and Nag co-founded Embrace and in 2010 they launched a modified version of the infant warmer product in India. 

D-Rev: Design for the other 90%

D-Rev (Design Revolution) is a non-profit technology incubator in Bay area aimed at deigning  and delivering world-class market-driven products for BOP market.Through a collaboration with the Jaipur Foot Organization (BMVSS) in India and Stanford University, Re:Motion team has designed and tested the Jaipur Knee joint prototype.Recognized by TIME Magazine as a Top 50 Invention of 2009, the JaipurKnee technology leverages (i) easily manufactured plastic parts and (ii) a proven polycentric kinematic mechanism to achieve significantly increased stability and gait efficiency when compared with other low-cost alternatives.D-Rev recently announced that Phoenix Medical Systems in India will run the marketing and distribution of D-Rev's Brilliance product, a neo-natal phototherapy device used to treat infants with the brain-damaging disease, jaundice, and which comes at a price tag of $400 instead of the usual $3,000. Other projects in pipeline are: Global scope for rural clinics, cold pasteurization of milk, Solar concentrator etc.

Open Innovation challenges on Innoget

David Rafols is the CEO and co-founder of Innoget with a wealth of experience on innovation management and R&D projects. Prior to founding Innoget, he was a technology sourcing manager at CIDEM, an Innovation Agency within the Catalonia local government, Barcelona, Spain. David has also worked for several food industry companies, such as Chupa Chups S.A. (technical manager) and Danone S.A. (R&D engineer). He has a degree in Biology and an MBA for the University of Barcelona. Some challenges :
A Hungarian technology transfer agency is looking for a manufacturer of the named medical instrument that is equipped with an image recording device and uses illumination with different wavelength.The instrument is capable of recording skin lesions, and of helping the uses in the diagnosing process. The system consists of two parts. These are the scanning device, and the docking station.

The scanning device contains an image recording device (camera or photodevice), which is used to take pictures of the inspected skin surface. It also contains LED-s with different wavelength, to illuminate the surface (an additional option is to attach polarizing filters). To get the appropriate sized images, a custom parameterized lens is built into the device.

The recorded image is automatically transferred to an external system (PC or PDA). The communication is made via a wired (USB, ETHERNET) and/or wireless (WiFi) channel. 

The internal electronics are the image recording device (already available), the LED circle, and a controlling circuit (custom circuit). This controls the LED-s, switches the system on or off and triggers the camera. All the circuits are made of SMD components. The case has an ergonomic design. There is one push button and a LED indicator on it. With these two things the user can easily operate the instrument. The other part, the docking station has a charging circuit inside, hence if we do not use the scanning device, the dock charges it continuously (with custom circuit). The device operates with a rechargeable accumulator. Built-in LCD hardware is an extra option for a quick diagnosis.

During the design phase, the main objective was, to design it clearly, in order to assist the manufacturing stage. All the custom built components were designed with CAD softwares. If a component is already available, then obtainability, and ease of inclusion into the system were taken into account. In the design stage, facilitating the manufacturing process is also very important. During the design stage a range of common standards were incorporated.  

Input documents and files for manufacturing:

The company can provide AutoCAD 2010 (.dwg) design files for case and docking station design, Eagle 5.7.0 schematics and layout design files for custom electronics. The program codes for PIC MCU are written in the latest Microchip MPLAB. We can provide the project files and the .c, .asm source codes. They will provide detailed description of necessary, already available components (for example image recording device).

Sushruta Innovation Award (SIA)

As a part of Innovation Cluster initiative promoted by Dept of Science and Technology and implemented by Foundation for MSME Clusters , this student competition is planned for student innovators in Biomedical engg, Medical technology etc 

last date: 20th January 2011. Winning team gets cash prize of Rs 50,000/- and an opportunity to display the innovation at International Conference on Indian Medical devices , on 12th Feb 2011 at Ahmedabad. Details: 
http://www.innovationclusters.org/Pharmaceutical_Clusters_Initiative.html

BubleBee Radar from Samraksh

The Samraksh Company was founded by Dr. Anish Arora and Dr. Kenneth W. Parker in 2005.The BumbleBee, a low-power, mote-scale Pulsed Doppler Radar sensor board, is The Samraksh Company's first offering in a suite of Wireless Sensor Network products.The BumbleBee Radar enables a number of low-power, wireless sensor network applications including simple motion detection, robust intrusion detection using velocity estimation, velocity-based motion tracking and vibration monitoring.

Graduate students are invited to submit their idea for an application of BumbleBee Radar. Ideas will be screened by two distinguished experts, Akos Ledeczi and Ted Herman to establish a minimum standard. Ideas meeting the minimum standard will be posted and evaluated by the crowd. If the idea is accepted the students will get a  BumbleBee Radar free.

Penalty under the proposed IPR bill

The much discussed IPR Bill  says : The researcher taking govt grant has to apply for patent protection and bear all expenses for its protection and enforcement (section 7) . If the researcher fails to do , then govt will recover grant released with 10% interest (section 20). Will any researcher retain title of IP with these conditions?

Prof. Arumugam Manthiram

Prof Arumugam Manthiram, a graduate from Madurai University , Professor University of Texas is researcher on Lithium Ion Battery developing low-cost, high-energy, high power cathode materials and nanostructured, safe anode materials for portable and transportation applications.Start-up Actacell is based on his research. Researchers needing a high power pack for HEV can contact him.

IDEA 2011

The IDEA® (International Design Excellence Awards) program is the premier international competition honoring design excellence in products, eco design, interaction design, packaging, strategy, research and concepts. Entries are invited from designers, students and companies worldwide. The contest is now open and will close by 28th Jan 2011.
IDEA 2011 Entry Process, Criteria & Process

2011 Global R&D Funding Forecast

Forecast released by R&D Magazine. The global R&D total for 2011 will be $1.2 trillion as stability returns and globalization narrows the R&D gap between countries. China has overtaken Japan as the world’s second-highest R&D funder, but despite a lower-than-average predicted 2011 R&D funding growth rate at just 2.4%, the United States still leads all countries by funding one-third of global R&D. US is expected to spend about 405 $ billion, Japan 144$ billion, China 153$billion and India 36$ billion. India spends more than Canada, Taiwan, Australia, Sweden, Finland, Israel  etc . In Pharma development, US lead with 71% budget, followed by Germany (10%), China (4%) and UK (1%).

While setting goals for the past several years to increase its R&D to GDP ratio to more than 1%, its actual performance has seen a stable ratio over the past several years at 0.9%. Of this spending, 0.61% is attributable to government R&D investments, which have been increasing over the past several years. Industrial investments in Indian R&D have risen 10% over the same period. The current total target for R&D as a share of GDP is 1.2% by 2012. Also, India graduates almost twice as many college graduates each year as China. But only 2% to 5% of those graduates have basic vocational skills, compared with 96% in Korea, 75% in Germany and 68% in the U.S., according to Indian government reports. Similarly, only about 25% of the engineers graduated in India have the language skills, practical knowledge and cultural attitudes to work for multinational companies.

Download report: 

Tata Swatch Nanotech water purifier gets gold at IDSA Design of the Decade awards

IDSA (Industrial Designers Society of America) announced Design of the Decade awards in several categories. In the  `Solution to developing world social problem' Tata Swatch water purifier is awarded Gold  with citation:

The lack of safe drinking water is a major problem in developing countries. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), water borne diseases are the leading cause of death in children under 5. Some estimates attribute 80 percent of all diseases and 33 percent of all deaths in the developing world to unsafe drinking water. The Tata Swach (Hindi for “clean”) is setting out to provide clean drinking water to the millions of people worldwide who don’t have it. In India, Tata Swach’s first focus, only about 6 percent of urban Indians and less than 1 percent of rural Indians use a water purifier. Accessible technology, ease of use and affordability are just some of the issues the design needed to tackle. The heart of the Tata Swach Nanotech Water Purifier is the Tata Swach Bulb, which purifies water without using electricity, a resource rarely available in rural areas. The Bulb can fit into existing storage vessels or ceramic pots that are widely used in rural India. It uses naturally available paddy husk ash as its water purification medium. The silica in the ash attracts organisms, which are then killed by the nano-silver in the admixture. Water can be gathered from any source, including wells, streams and lakes. Another unique feature is the Tata Swach Fuse. The purification power gets depleted after about 3,000 liters. To alert users when the Bulb is exhausted, the Fuse triggers a shut-off mechanism, which blocks the water flow and protects users from drinking impure water. The Fuse also indicates the remaining life of the Bulb, giving users enough warning to buy a new one. Replacing the Bulb is as simple as replacing a light bulb. The company’s marketing campaign is aimed at converting non-users to users of water purifiers centered on spreading awareness about the need to purify drinking water. Tata Swach costs about $0.02 per day for a family of five.

The Genius in all of us by David Shenk

The author, David Shenk, a journalist by profession digs into a huge volume of psychology research to reassure us that there is a Genius untapped in all of us. In the process he demystifies several myths on inherited talents:

• Like intelligence, talents are not innate gifts, but the result of a slow, invisible accretion of skills developed from the moment of conception. Everyone is born with differences and some with unique advantages for certain tasks. But no one is genetically designed into greatness and few are biologically restricted from attaining it.
• Talent is not a thing, it is a process. Records are regularly broken because people are training harder and smarter.
• Genes, Proteins and environmental signals ( including human behaviour and emotions) constantly interact with one another and this interactive process influences the production of proteins which then guide the functions of cells, which form traits.
• Children develop only as the environment demands development.
• Ordinary practice, where your current skill level is simply being reinforced is not enough to get better. It takes a special kind of practice to force yr mind and body into the kind of change necessary to improve.

Buy the book: http://geniusblog.davidshenk.com/     

Saankhya labs TV Demodulator gets global recognition

Saankhya bags two prestigious awards:

 

1.Frost & Sullivan Excellence Award in the category "Entrepreneurial Company in the Indian Semiconductor Market"

 

2. IMS research instituted "Global TV Innovations award 2010 in the semiconductor category".  The TV Innovation Awards honor the most groundbreaking companies in the television space shaping the future of the medium in 14 different categories.

 

can this be the first disruptive innovation from India ?