This story is from July 1, 2015

DRDO, US, Japanese institutions eager to partner with IIT-Kanpur

In order to help Centre realize its 'Make In India' programme, IIT-Kanpur has taken a giant step where prototype of seven different domain products ranging from flexible displays to flexible LEDs, organic solar cells to flexible sensors, wearable and lightweight electronics on textiles, security packaging of medicines to check circulation of fake drugs and flexible lighting would be developed.
DRDO, US, Japanese institutions eager to partner with IIT-Kanpur
KANPUR: In order to help Centre realize its 'Make In India' programme, IIT-Kanpur has taken a giant step where prototype of seven different domain products ranging from flexible displays to flexible LEDs, organic solar cells to flexible sensors, wearable and lightweight electronics on textiles, security packaging of medicines to check circulation of fake drugs and flexible lighting would be developed.

A national centre for flexible electronics centre is being set up at IIT-Kanpur. IIT-Bombay has shown keen interest in joining hands for working on the new technology domain. IIT-K is also keen in roping international collaborators for this project. Technical institutions in US and Japan are interested in doing joint work in this direction. The IIT-K authorities are in talks with these foreign institutions. Even Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) spoke to IIT-K to make them a partner in research pertaining to needs in defence field.
The institute has so far partnered with two industries to speedily commercialise the prototype of the flexible electronic products. The entire exercise being done is aimed at conducting research and development in large area flexible electronics that serves as a foundation for development of domestic industry under the Make In India initiative to grow the country as a manufacturing hub through new technology domain. IIT-Kanpur will also train manpower in flexible electronics domain. The trained manpower would become asset and engage in mass production of such prototyped products in industries.
IIT-K director Indranil Manna informed that the emerging range of electronic products that are flexible, bendable and can be printed like newspapers is taking the shape worldwide and therefore even India is interested in it. "Flexible and large area electronics devices are driven by innovative applications at a much lower cost than conventional methods of manufacturing. In this type of technology, circuits will be printed on plastic, paper etc. Flexible and printable electronic products find application in a number of sectors such as healthcare, power, lighting, defence, security packaging etc. IIT-K wants to champion this new technology and compete with the world before this technology emerges in the foreign land and is adopted by India. Let India be the master of this technology," said Manna.
He stressed on the fact that IIT-Kanpur with its experience and capability can play a leadership role in this area.
Professor Monika Katiyar, head of the core team, informed that IIT-Bombay and some other institutes in the country have shown interest to partner IIT-K in doing research. She said that even US and Japan are eager to join hands and talks are on with them. She said that a total of 55 experts will be hired to work in the national centre for flexible electronics and in next five years, the target is to roll out seven prototypes of such flexible and bendable products.
Another core team member Y N Mahapatra informed that the rapid rise in demand for cost-effective consumer electronic products, especially for healthcare, packaging, power generation and lighting, military and logistics, is going to be a major driving factor for flexible electronics, requiring products to be flexible and lighter and having ability to conform to various shapes.
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