'Research & Innovation Not Limited To IITs Anymore, Expanding To Tier 2, 3 Cities'

India is an emerging global leader in research & development (R&D), said Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Minister of Education, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, during the second edition of IInvenTiv-2024, hosted by IIT Hyderabad. 

“IITs and other premiere institutions are not the only generators of innovation in the country anymore”, stressed the Union Education Minister on the vision and plans of the Indian government to expand the scale and quality of research driven by the institutions in tier 2-3 cities. 

IInvenTiv is the first-of-its-kind, mega R&D fair, where all IITs, NITs, IISERs, IIITs and other top 50 ranked NIRF Institutions in the country come together to showcase their R&D prowess. This is the second edition of IInvenTiv, which was hosted by IIT Hyderabad. The debut edition was hosted by IIT Delhi in 2022. The event provides a platform to all the aspirational innovators who have been working on innovative products and solutions to resolve a problem in the society and country at large. 

Applauding the work done by IITs, Pradhan also revealed that a few days ago the American Congress recognised the technical capability of IITs as a significant contributor to the American economy. He stressed that IITs are doing wonders and highlighted that Indian youth coming from remote regions and participating in large events.

Apart from the Union Minister, the event saw the presence of Prof. B.S. Murty, Director, IIT Hyderabad; B V R Mohan Reddy, Chairman, Board of Governors, IIT Hyderabad; Sanjay Murthy, Secretary, Higher Education, Ministry of Education leaders of several academic institutions. 

While interacting with media, Prof. B.S. Murty, emphasised the fact that 23 out of 53 institutions that participated in IInvenTiv 2024 are IITs while 30 are from non-IITs.

Concluding the conversation, the Education Minister Pradhan called technology an equaliser and appreciated Indian youth and said, “They are thriving good, I am proud of them all.”