Unless the technologies developed in the laboratories reach the actual users, commercial exploitation cannot take place, and the economy cannot benefit from the technologies. The executive agencies involved in the generation, adoption, adaptation, and dissemination of technology include the Departments of Science & Technology, Biotechnology, Atomic Energy, Electronics, Ocean Development and Space, as well as CSIR, ICAR, ICMR, etc.
The government controls the import of technology through maintaining a national register of foreign collaborations and evolving schemes like technology of trading and technology (TAAS), and technology transfer advisory committee (TTAC), and technology transfer cell (TTC), etc.
To encourage the generation and use of indigenous technology, many fiscal and other incentives are granted by the government. Among steps taken for the transfer of technology for its absorption is the creation of institutions like Krishi Vigyan Kendras of ICAR, extension centres and polytechnology centres of CSIR, rural technology-cum-training centres of NRDC, and community polytechnics and the Ministry of Human Resources.
The Department of Space occupies a unique place in that it generates its own technologies, adopts technologies developed by Indian industries and transfers spin-offs of advanced technologies, developed in space programmes, to industry.
The wide spectrum of technology and application areas covered under ISRO’s technology transfers include telecommunications, computer systems (hardware and software), electronics, optics and opto-electronics, electrochemical systems, chemicals and polymers, and special materials. Antrix Corporation Ltd., the marketing division of ISRO has been exporting technology.
BARC has constituted a technology transfer group (TTG) for identification of the processes and prototypes developed in BARC which could be transferred to private or public sector undertakings. The broad subjects covered include environment and health; electrical, electronics and mechanical instruments; chemical and metallurgical processes; and radioactive applications.
For technology generation leading to self-reliance in electronic sector, the Department of Electronics constituted the technology development council (TDC), which has promoted several technology development programmes. The Department of Electronics has also undertaken the development of high technology linear accelerator machine for cancer therapy (LINAC) and has developed a workable prototype, the technology transfer of which is in progress.
The programmes of the Department of Ocean Development have resulted in the generation and absorption of new technologies related to the fields of Antarctic research, polymetallic nodules, and survey of living and non-living resources, development of coastal zone and islands, and marine instrumentation.
The Department of Biotechnology has created modern vaccines, therapeutic bioactive molecules, hybrid high yielding seeds, artificial seeds, tissue cultured propagules of agricultural, horticultural and forest plants, biofertilisers and biopesticides.
CSIR is another major source of technology transfer for a wide spectrum of industries. It not only offers technologies off the shelf but also develops specific technologies on sponsorship from the user industry.
Technology transfer from CSIR covers a wide gamut of application areas ranging from microelectronics to metallurgy, medicinal plants, industrial machinery, chemicals, microbiology, building materials, and food products. Newer areas of technology transfer encompass development of new drugs, catalysts for petro-refining and petrochemicals, agrotechnologies.
However, Indian industry has for long been reluctant to adopt indigenous technology, preferring to import a proven technology even if obsolete. Industrialists in India take technology to be a one-time purchase, not a process. This attitude needs to change, and, of late, is changing. The private sector must put in more of its resources in research and development.
A gradual change is to be seen, however, for though liberalisation has eased the process of importing technology, the devaluation and convertibility of the rupee have also made such import more expensive. Indigenous technology may thus find a better local market.
Both firms and laboratories are discovering that it is worthwhile to be totally committed to a research project: while a company pays for the entire project, it gets exclusive use of the technology for a certain number of years after which the laboratory can sell the technology to other buyers. Indeed, the industrial production based on CSIR knowhow grew by around nine per cent, which was double the rate of growth of industrial sector per se, in 2000-2001.
The NRDC, a nodal technology transfer organisation in the country, has identified the constraints in commercialising indigenous technology, some of which are: lack of design and engineering facilities, a pre-production bottlenecking, lack of financial support, and lack of market data.
Now the NRDC and CSIR have evolved various strategies to get the private sector to use indigenously developed technologies. One is the equity scheme under which a firm gets ready-to-use technology if it gives an equity participation to the laboratory. Another is the profit-sharing scheme under which the laboratory gets a part of the savings generated by the company using its technology.
The setting up of marketing arms is also of help. If there is Antrix for ISRO, the NAL has set up NALTECH, and the Central Power Research Institute has decided on energy consultants and technologies. However, Indian businessmen might have to be provided with more incentives to adopt indigenous technologies.
The concept of sharing development costs has to be encouraged. It is only with more evidence of successful projects using indigenous technology that exports of such technology will increase.
The CSIR network, however, is doing some good work in exporting technologies. The IICT has contracted to transfer pesticide technology for the AIDS drug, AZT, and an anti-ulcer drug to Brazil, and other technologies to China and 9ther countries. A leading company in Holland has bought a hydro-dewaxing technology developed at the NCL. Collaborations with foreign firms are on the increase.
In order to tap the talent and cooperation of non-resident Indian experts, CSIR has two programmes, namely, Transfer of Knowledge/ Knowhow through Expatriate Indians (TOKTEN) and Interface with Nonresident Indians in Science and Technology (INRIST).
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has decided to set up an engineering research centre (ERC), a business-oriented cell, at the Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, Bengaluru. Basic research in artificial intelligence and robotics inevitably threw up several civilian applications which would be harnessed through the ERC.
In the context of an economy being steadily liberalised, the CSIR has taken some initiatives to reorient its programmes and realign priorities to meet industry’s demands. To optimise on the development of scarce resources, the government directed institutions to incorporate zero base budgeting (ZBB) as an integral part of the budgeting process, from the financial year 2000-2001.
A CSIR task force was constituted. The task force reviewed the ongoing and new Plan schemes of CSIR and recommended that, the scheme ‘national laboratories’ being the major component of the CSIR Plan, detailed exercise of formulation of the programmes/projects/activities in the national laboratories be done by applying ZBB.
Further, CSIR has filed several patents, both in India and abroad, and exploiting these is bound to be commercially lucrative. For the first time in the history of CSIR, foreign patent filing outstripped the Indian patent filing in 2000-2001.
The foreign patent filing was 452 (199 in 1999- 2000) and Indian patent filing was 410 (up from 377) besides 25 copyrights for software and 16 trademarks being obtained indicating the emergence of CSIR in the domains of other forms of industrial property as well.
source:yourarticlelibrary
