In a significant stride towards revolutionising India’s agricultural sector, the Indian Institute of Technology Indore (IIT Indore) recently conducted a one-day industry-academia workshop at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune. The workshop, titled “Research Innovation for Commercialisation,” brought together industry leaders, academics, and policymakers to explore the critical role of collaboration in driving research innovation towards commercialisation, with a particular focus on agriculture.
The event highlighted the transformative power of historical collaborations, such as the Green Revolution, which dramatically increased agricultural productivity in India. Drawing parallels, the workshop delved into the potential of AI and ML-based research to catalyse a similar revolution, positioning India as a global leader in food production and agricultural technology.
Sunil Kumar, the media coordinator for IIT Indore, emphasised the importance of integrating technology with agriculture to enhance productivity and sustainability. He underscored the necessity of multi-stakeholder collaboration to modernise and upgrade the Indian agricultural sector. The discussions also highlighted the need for region-specific AI and ML models to address challenges related to crop growth and agricultural sustainability.
A consortium of scientists and academicians engaged in robust discussions about the critical challenges faced during research, product commercialisation, and intellectual property (IP) management. They explored how AgriHub, a collaborative research ecosystem, could serve as a crucial enabler. AgriHub offers a dedicated database repository for Indian crop data and high-performance computing (HPC) infrastructure to support AI/ML-based computational research.
One of the major outcomes of the workshop was the agreement to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Biotech Consortium India Limited (BCIL), a company promoted by the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India. This collaboration aims to develop various technologies for the agriculture sector. Key industries working in precision agriculture, genome analysis, and seed testing also agreed to develop joint programmes under the AgriHub project. Additionally, various startups and NGOs expressed their willingness to develop joint programmes that can directly benefit farmers.
The workshop was led by Prof. Aruna Tiwari, the principal investigator of the AgriHub Centre of Excellence (COE) at IIT Indore. Notable speakers included Prof. Narendra S Chaudhari, vice-chancellor of Assam Science and Technology University (ASTU), Dr. Anil Rai, assistant director general (ICT) of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Lakshmi Panat, scientist at the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) Pune, and Dr. Prashant Dhakephalkar, director of the Agharkar Research Institute.
The workshop not only fostered meaningful collaborations but also laid the groundwork for future innovations that could revolutionise various sectors, particularly agriculture. By bridging the gap between industry and academia, this initiative paves the way for a more sustainable and productive agricultural landscape in India.
