Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN), in collaboration with the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR), Ministry of Science & Technology, Government of India, and as one of the 18 Common Research and Technology Development Hubs (CRTDHs) of the country, is going to host a national-level “DSIR - CRTDH Conclave 2023: Viksit Bharat Abhiyan - Empowering MSMEs & Startups” on November 6 and 7, 2023.

Dr N Kalaiselvi, Secretary, DSIR & Director General-CSIR, Ministry of Science & Technology, Government of India (GoI), will be the Chief Guest on the occasion. She will be joined by several distinguished experts, including Shri Sandip Sagale, IAS, Industries Commissioner, Government of Gujarat (GoG); Dr H G Koshia, Commissioner, Food and Drug Control Administration (FDCA), GoG; Dr Sujata Chaklanobis, Scientist G & Head CRTDH, DSIR, GoI; and Shri Hiranmay Mahanta, CEO, i-Hub Ahmedabad, Gujarat; among others.

The Conclave will focus on the following five themes on which 18 CRTDH centres have established across the country: (1) Environmental Interventions, (2) New Materials/Chemical Processes, (3) Affordable Healthcare, (4) Electronics/Renewable Energy, and (5) Low-cost Machining. Alongside the Conclave, there will also be an exhibition on the technology offerings from 18 CRTDHs for industries and a five short workshops on topics such as ‘Low-Cost, High-tech Automation for MSMEs’, ‘Hazard Identification using HAZOP’, and ‘Energy Assessments for MSME Industries’. More than 250 scientists, researchers from various CRTDHs located in multiple IITs/NIT/Universities/CSIR Labs and distinguished professionals from industries and startups are going to attend the Conclave.

The CRTDH programme, initiated by DSIR in the year 2014-15, has now entered the 10th year of successful implementation with 18 CRTDHs across the country. These CRTDHs have notable achievements along with success stories of some of the stakeholders associated with them. These achievements will be showcased to other stakeholders during the two-day Conclave. The event aims to boost industry-academia interaction and collaboration by discussing and exchanging ideas on required technologies, training programmes and testing solutions for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and make our collective efforts to empower MSMEs/Startups.