Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Hyderabad, in association with Technology Information Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC), a technology think tank under the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, hosted a two-day brainstorming workshop as a part of preparing Technology Vision 2047 (TV 2047) document for the country which will not only identify the long-term challenges confronting the country’s overall development and its future technology needs but also facilitate towards “Striding towards Technology Independence – a self-reliant developed India”. This aligns with the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s directive to scientific communities to prepare a holistic vision for India in 2047, now in “Amrit Kaal”.

“This two days brainstorming workshop has brought close to 50 experts from different backgrounds, including Academia, R& D labs and Industry, under the six themes: Biotechnology, Renewable Energy, Pharma, ICT, Infrastructure and Defense sector. Another highlight of this workshop is the Students’ conclave in which 200 students will participate and share their vision for Future India”, says Prof Chandra Shekhar Sharma, Dean (SRC) at IIT Hyderabad and coordinator of this workshop.

Prof B S Murty, Director, IITH, welcomed all the participants and briefed them about the various initiatives IIT Hyderabad has taken to nurture the innovations. He emphasized the vision of the Institute as Inventing & Innovating in Technology for Humanity.

Shri Jayesh Ranjan, Principal Secretary, I&C, ITE&C, Govt. of Telangana, who graced the occasion as the Guest of Honor, called upon the need to connect the technology with the social needs and also emphasized the capacity build-up to achieve the TV 2047. He also informed that the themes chosen for this discussion meeting are also the priority areas for the Telangana Government, and the State Govt. would be keen to lead some of these areas.

Dr S Chandrasekhar, Secretary, Department of Science & Technology, GoI, who was the Chief Guest at the event, highlighted three significant aspects while preparing the TV 2047: Food Security, Energy Security and Health Security. He added that global issues like increasing CO2 emissions have even put up a serious challenge on the very existence of humanity and, therefore, must be discussed in length. He mentioned how the whole ecosystem in a city like Hyderabad had met earlier challenges like Y2K and, more recently, Covid-19. Therefore, it may serve as a nucleation point while preparing a roadmap for the country for 2047.

Prof Pradeep Srivastava, Executive Director, TIFAC and Dr Gautam Goswami, Head, TV 2047 from TIFAC, also shared their views and emphasized the need for such brainstorming workshops to ensure the feedback from all major stakeholders while preparing such an important document for the technology-driven developed India.