NRDC facilitates industry to get over 250 patents in 3yrs

Startups account for 50% of total patents applied; IP and new technology commercialisation is need of the hour, says Bijaya Kumar Sahu. Head of NRDC-IPFC Visakhapatnam

Visakhapatnam: National Research Development Corporation (NRDC) has facilitated obtaining more than 250 patents in the past three years. Among them, 50 per cent of the patents are applied by startups only. It has so far provided tech support at free of cost to 100 startups in various ways such as filing for intellectual property (IP) rights, patents, trademarks and designs, and capacity building and government funding.

In an exclusive interview with Bizz Buzz, Bijaya Kumar Sahu, Head of NRDC-Intellectual Property Facilitation Centre (IPFC), Visakhapatnam, said: "The NRDC has assisted its support in receiving about 250 patents, 100 trademarks, 25 designs, 18 copyrights and 45 tech transfers over the last three years. New technology and IP commercialisation is the need of the hour."

The NRDC-IPFC has signed roughly around 50 MoUs till now collaborating with industry bodies, universities, research and development (R&D) institutions and public sector units (PSUs). It has conducted 80 capacity building programmes and 32 industry-academia conclaves across the region. It has been handholding the startups from idea stage to product launch, he informed.

With the support of the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MoMSME), the NRDC has established IPFC Centre at Visakhapatnam in 2017. It has set up the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) - Technology and Innovation Support Centre (TISC) under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) in 2018.

NRDC-IPFC and TISC Visakhapatnam has not only assisted startups, but also promoted many technologies sourced from Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) and Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to various entrepreneurs and MSMEs for licensing them.

Other than sourcing and tech transfer services to startups and MSMEs, the NRDC-IPFC is supporting PSUs like Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd (RINL), the corporate entity of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, and offering IPR consultancy services to various ordinance factories. It is also providing its strategic IP protection services to various PSUs of defence and other sectors.

In association with DPIIT - Cell for IPR Promotion and Management (CIPAM), WIPO, AP government and MoMSME, the NRDC-IPFC has been organising various programmes related to capacity building, awareness, training and workshop on IP and tech transfer at various places to promote innovation and IP commercialisation in the region in view of growing industrialisation and startup ecosystem.

The NRDC-IPFC is acting as a bridge between R&D Institutions and industries. It has developed a wide network with the scientific and industrial community in southern India. It is working effectively towards its roles and objectives in activities including tech licensing, IP facilitation and capacity building and awareness programmes, and participated in several entrepreneurship development programmes.