Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati boosts nanotech & healthcare

GUWAHATI: Indian Institute of Technology-Guwahati, in collaboration with the Ministry of Electronic and Information Technology – MeitY, Government of India, has successfully achieved the goals set for the Centre for Excellence in Research and Development of Nanoelectronic and Theranostic Devices established in 2014.

Appreciating the phenomenal success of the Centre for Excellence, Prof. TG Sitharam, Director, of IIT Guwahati said, "It is with great pride to note that the faculty members working at IIT Guwahati's Centre for Nanotechnology in collaboration with MeitY have worked tirelessly towards the success of establishing this pioneering Centre for Excellence. This visionary support by the MeitY has been instrumental in expanding the base of nanoelectronics inventions and innovations in the country well in line with the twin missions of GoI – 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' and 'Make in India."

At the time of its inception, IIT Guwahati and MeitY collectively planned and envisioned this Centre for Excellence with major long-term objectives. The CoE has surpassed these objectives, including the below-mentioned salient features:

(i) Establishment of a brand-new Centre for Nanotechnology building of 10,000 sq. m. area equipped with ISO 5 and 6 clean rooms and 23 state-of-art laboratories having cutting-edge fabrication – Lithography, CVD and PVD reactors, oxidation and diffusion furnaces, and printers, characterization – confocal and electron microscopes, UV-Vis spectroscopy, and AFM-Raman-TERS and testing – IV-CV analyser, AC/DC/RF probe stations, network analyzer facilities, for the first time in North-East India.

(ii) Development of an array of healthcare devices to detect liver/kidney/pancreatic health, detect pathogens and cancer markers with immense commercial potential. In the process, 7 transfer-of-technologies and more than 280 publications in the high impact international journals, more than 40 Patents, 30 prototypes, 50 PhD students, and manpower training.

(iii) Development of an array of SAW, FET, microfluidic, MEMS, and NWFET devices integrated with indigenous nano biosensors, at the level of from TRL 2 to 5, in which some of them are translated into a product by startups, ready to hit the market. In particular, frugal and low-cost point-of-care healthcare devices have been developed to detect liver/kidney/pancreatic health, detect pathogens and cancer markers (cervical, liver, and others), among others.

(iv) Handholding of multiple startups in the area related to materials and nanoelectronics such as M/S Primary Healthtech Pvt Ltd, M/S Bioaptagen Pvt Ltd and M/S JSV Innovations Pvt. Ltd. Establishing a fruitful partnership with industry such as M/S Vivocon Pvt. Ltd., M/S Chemidist Pvt. Ltd., M/S RR Animal Healthcare, and M/S Avyantra Health Technologies.

(v) Utility of the established facility towards several future activities such as INUP-I2I, SWASTHA, and other CoEs sponsored by the funding agencies in particular MeitY.

Speaking about the CoE at IIT Guwahati, Prof. Ramgopal Rao, Pillay Chair Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and former Director of IIT Delhi said, "A successful establishment of the Centre for Excellence is an epoch-making event in the North-Eastern region because the youth of the region can now utilize these world-class facilities available at their doorstep to pursue their lofty scientific and technological dreams. Importantly, the Nano Centre has already started delivering an array of technologies that will cater to the needs of society. As the chairman of the committee that has overseen the growth of the Centre, it is indeed a very happy moment for me to be a part of this journey with the IIT Guwahati fraternity. The leadership that the faculty members have shown and the commitment the scholars, students and the IIT Guwahati administration have displayed in establishing the Centre is phenomenal and sets a new benchmark for all such activities to follow in the country."

Sharing her thoughts on the success of CoE at IIT Guwahati, Dr Sunita Verma, Group Coordinator, R&D in Electronics and IT, Ministry of Electronics and IT, Government of India, said, "With this initiative, the visionary steps taken by MeitY has created a National facility in the form of this Centre for Excellence in the North-East region of the country. Now, scholars/start-ups/SMEs/MSME/MoSMEs can join even from the remotest part of the country and materialize their dreams related to the execution of the high-tech R&D in the areas of nanoelectronics, utilizing this World Class facility. This is an excellent example of technology coming to the doorstep of researchers. Surely, shortly, the initiative is to catalyse the development of cutting-edge futuristic technologies in the domains of nanoelectronics and nanomaterials to cater for the various needs of society."

The Ministry of Electronic and Information Technology (MeitY) functions with a vision towards the e-Development of India as the engine for transition into a developed nation and an empowered society. The mission of MeitY is to promote e-Governance for empowering citizens, promoting the inclusive and sustainable growth of the Electronics, IT & ITeS industries, enhancing India's role in Internet Governance, adopting a multipronged approach that includes the development of human resources, promoting R&D and innovation, enhancing efficiency through digital services and ensuring a secure cyberspace.

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