CHENNAI : Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) and IIT Madras Research Park are hosting a delegation from Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST), Tanzania, from 26th to 29th June 2023.
A nine-member delegation including Prof. Anthony Mshandete and Prof. Suzana Augustino, Deputy Vice Chancellors of NM-AIS, interacted with various faculty members and organizations of IIT Madras as part of this educational and capacity-building tour.
The visit aims to explore and learn from IIT Madras’ experiences and best practices in fostering entrepreneurship, supporting the growth of startup ecosystems and addressing specific challenges. The delegation aims to gain insights into IIT Madras incubation centres’ successful operation and sustainability, management of donor-funded research projects, efficient handling of incubator spaces and the design of innovative working spaces.
Welcoming the NM-AIST delegation, Prof. Raghunathan Rengaswamy, Dean (Global Engagement), IIT Madras, said, “IIT Madras is engaging with Tanzania and Zanzibar through substantive educational initiatives. Sevaral Tanzainan/Zanzibar students are expected to join IIT Madras postgraduate degree programs this Fall. This visit is another example of how IIT Madras is engaging with Tanzania/Zanzibar in supporting the education/innovation ambitions of the region, while also learning from the visiting delegation. ”
The Delegation will be meeting several IIT Madras faculty including Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, Prof. Ashok Jhunjhunwala, President, IIT Madras Research Park, Prof. Bhaskar Ramamurthi, Institute Professor and former Director, Prof. M.S. Ananth, former Director, Prof. Manu Santhanam, Dean (Industrial Consultancy and Sponsored Research), Prof. Ligy Philip, Dean (Planning), and Prof. Krishnan Balasubramanian, Head, Centre for Nondestructive Evaluation, among others.
Speaking about the visit of IIT Madras, Prof. Anthony Mshandete, Deputy Vice-Chancellor – Academic, Research and Innovation, Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST), Tanzania, said, “Our visit to the campus has been very instrumental for us. We have learned how an idea can be commercialized or can be taken from the laboratory to the market. This is one of the key messages we have learnt today.”
Further, Prof. Suzana Augustino, Deputy Vice-Chancellor – Planning, Finance and Administration, Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST), Tanzania, said, “This team has been supported by the HEET (Higher Education for Economic Transformation) Project supported by World Bank through the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology in Tanzania. It is meant to transform higher learning institutions economically. This has been an opportunity as this project aims to transform our institute economically in terms of commercializing the innovations coming from our students and faculty. This visit has been very important to us as part of the learning, what we got from today is at our Institute, we need to change our mind set, change the thinking of being just a research institution and ending up with taking innovations to the market and being beneficial to the Institute in terms of generating income.”
The NM-AIST delegation will also visit various bodies at IIT Madras including IIT Madras Research Park, Nirmaan Pre-Incubator, Centre For Innovation (CFI), Gopalakrishnan Deshpande Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (GDC), Sudha Gopalakrishnan Brain Centre, and National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways and Coasts.
Speaking after meeting with the delegation, Prof. Ashok Jhunjhunwala, President, IIT Madras Research Park and IIT Madras Incubation Cell, said, “It will be great if NM-AIST is able to develop a tech-incubator in Tanzania, which helps grow business and economy of the region. I understand that their strength is agriculture. From what I understood, Food-processing and packaging, organic fertilisers and processing or organic waste, leather processing and making of leather goods etc. may result into some early gains. But they need to move from driving technology to driving business. A incubator must create business which succeed. We will be happy to work with them and see them successful in time to come. They must remember that incubations do not happen in a hurry.”
The Team also interacted with various research groups and centres of excellence including the Energy Consortium, Robert Bosch Centre for Data Science and AI (RBCDSAI), the water group headed by Prof. Ligy Philip, besides the School of Sustainability and the Department of Medical Sciences and Technology
The NM-AIST delegation also included:
- Mr. Daniel Lohay Fissoo – Chief Planning Officer
- Dr. Josephine Mkunda- Technology Transfer and Commercialization Manager
- Dr. Angela Mkindi – Incubation Manager
- Ms. Luckness Jangu — Intellectual Property Manager
- Ms Perecy Mwaika – Research Management Officer
- Mr. Okuli Andrea — Research Management Officer
- Ms. Mushiba Katoyo – Incubation Officer
