Gap between industry and academics should be bridged

Universities should strive for creation of knowledge: Ballal About five lakh engineering graduates are created in 400 universities every year. Call to make teaching an attractive profession in terms of remuneration The gap between the industry and academics should be bridged up. Universities should give importance to creation of knowledge rather than merely concentrating on imparting knowledge. Although there were 400 universities in the country, none of them figured in the top 200 universities of the world. This was because the universities here were lagging behind in research. Although nearly five lakh engineering graduates were being created every year in the country, only 20 per cent of them were employable. The industry should encourage the institutions by offering student scholarships. Higher education should be made accessible to deserving students. They should not be deprived of higher education merely for the want of money, he said. It was difficult to get good teachers for engineering courses. Hence, teaching profession should be made more attractive in terms of salaries paid to them. . The help of the industry is required to attract good teachers to academic institutions , instrumentation technology played a vital role in the progress of the world. India was largely dependent on foreign countries for instruments. This situation should be reversed. The syllabi of the universities were five years behind the international standard. Conferences such as this helped the students and teachers in keeping abreast of developments in the respective fields, Appreciate the necessary synergy between both worlds. It is common to hear from industry, "Why are academics so insular?" And alternatively from academia, "Why is business so short-sighted?" The stereotypes fit in some cases, but I like to think that there's a simpler way to understand how the two worlds differ in terms of the "punctuation marks" that define the desired outcomes of the two crafts. I focus on four of those

punctuation marks here to identify the general difference between academia and industry of "long-term" horizon versus "short-term" horizon thinking, but also offer the "RISD difference" within this simple vocabulary of marks.** In academia there is the luxury of time. Thus when a thought might start, it doesn't necessarily have to finish. You can begin ... and not necessarily end. It is this kind of open-endedness that makes academia a necessary space of free thought in the world. The free space is a necessary inefficiency designed into the academic system so that new thoughts can form in the most productive manner which is through the natural reinforcement of the passage of time. In industry we like to hear the virtues of "execution" and "getting things done." Got an idea? Set a target deadline. When you're done, package the result and move onto the next task. Don't think. Just do. And keep on doing.

In industry it's important to be heard. Speaking up is critical for an individual's or idea's survival. "I can't hear you." No. I really can't. So what do you do? YELL. YEEEEEELLLLLL. And you still hope to get heard. By your boss, of course. Or even better by your boss's boss.

In academia there's always a need to think critically. Debate is the starting- and ending-point for all meaningful dialogue. Got an idea? Question it. And question the question while you're at it. Incidentally, from my two years working with Becky, there are times when it appears I literally drive her crazy. She'll tell me, "Stop that Socrates sh*t! Give me a definite answer. Not a definitive question!" So the and the are about the long view. The and the are about what lives in the short term. But what does this have to do with being the president of RISD? Well. I've discovered a new model in which academia exists. I call it the world of the "Question-Period." Let me explain. At RISD, what I've observed in the students and faculty here is that the is considered to be poor form. There is no need to overstate one's case. A good idea simply has good value, and a critical audience will most easily recognize

that value when it is understated. The same can be said for the because at RISD there is a clear sense that work must be completed. And it can't be completed just on a whim. There has to be a rigorous assault at a concept and in its execution. A means that you've given up. So you absolutely need a to make a clear, defensible expression or result. And lastly, and firstly, and in between first and last, you must be constantly asking after because the work makes you think. And thinking is about asking questions. Every day I see folks on campus in this constant mode of Question-Period. It is one of the many reasons why I am proud to be here, and I am excited to introduce the world of business to the ever-inspiring world of RISD. Industry-academia interactions: Bridging the gap One important way of facilitating interaction between academia and industry is for teachers to take sabbatical at business organisations in their field of expertise. Such involvement will facilitate mutual understanding of each other s strengths and challenges, say Alka Ahuja, Sanjula Baboota, Javed Aliand R K Khar In the third millennium, we have witnessed a lot of technological changes. These changes, however, have not been properly used by our graduates in order to compete in the present scenario. It is essential to have industryacademia interactions which will help to impart relevant knowledge and will be sustainable in the changing conditions. Academic institutes place great importance to closer interaction with industry and R&D organisations. At the level of industry participation in technology development, some interaction has been witnessed between large public and private sector enterprises and academic institutes. Still, industry support to basic research is virtually non-existent. Laboratory utilisation by industry for developmental purposes and for product testing has seen some success. With the help of continuing education programmes (CEP), participation from the industry is gradually on an increase. The areas in which interaction is possible include industry support to basic research for knowledge creation, industry participation in technology development involving some exploratory work, academic intervention in solving industry problems, laboratory utilisation by industry and CEP.

Industry needs and expectations Large industrial houses have the resources to invest in technology development initiatives. Academic participation is often needed in minor technological innovation. Small scale industries often depend on support in the areas of design, process improvement and machinery performance etc. They also rely on processes to yield a product which already exists. In some cases, problem solving may simply amount to product testing and production enhancement in terms of quantity and quality. In such interactions, industry s expected time frames have been immediate and investment is directed towards efforts that promise result oriented solutions. Academia expectations An academician shows interest normally in problems that are intellectually challenging. His areas of interest lie in technology development initiatives and methods related to process and design improvement. Researchers have strong preference for working towards creation of knowledge in specialised areas. For industry-related problems, a researcher has to explore a variety of options which is time consuming. In academic institutions, time frame of an academician is governed by research guidance and teaching assignments. Academicians are oriented towards R&D activities of the industry for funds which helps them to sustain their broader research interests. Gap between industry and academia Gap between the needs of the industry and aspirations of academic community is very large. Academicians always have a strong feeling that unless these initiatives find a place in industrial sector, this interaction will be confined to only developmental activities. There is a strong mismatch in perceptions of the two on the issues related to technology development. At present, the academic community is not geared to face this challenge of translating evolving idea into technology development. Avenues for future

A support system is needed to ensure a focused involvement of both academia and industry. Academic institutions should develop systems and procedures to ensure that industry expectations are met without any compromise on academic aspirations. Initially, academia should conceive and take up short term, small budget projects which would instill confidence in industry and encourage it to start development projects. Industry also has to give a fresh look to its R&D efforts. This process must be guided by a complete shift from trading set up to a technologically- driven entrepreneurial set up. Academia should tilt the focus of basic research to applicative research. Research initiatives involving industry people with flexible formats could serve as the first step in this direction. Venues should be created for close interaction starting from conceptualisation down to commercialisation. Setting up of technology incubation centres in close proximity of academic institutions could provide for fostering wholesome technology development. Venues should be created for close interaction starting from conceptualisation down to commercialisation. Setting up of technology incubation centres in close proximity of academic institutions could provide for fostering wholesome technology development Interaction between industry and doctoral programmes Pharmaceutical education is a foundation on which the structure of the pharmaceutical industry, R&D and pharmaceutical technologies is built up by supplying qualified pharmacists to the industry. The interaction should begin when researchers are doctoral students and should continue well after they start their careers. Some institutions fear that if students involve in industry work, it might distract them from their doctoral work. But it should be considered as part of the education. Industry provides research topics, funding

and access to data for research. Industry also provides an opportunity for employment outside the traditional academic setting. The question of who holds the patent rights to a specific development is a major issue. Academic institutions are scared of losing patent rights to a particular research where industry is involved. At the same time several academic researchers profit from their research through business books, industry consulting and speaking engagements. Therefore, academic research and the pursuit of profit are not mutually exclusive. One important way of facilitating interaction between academia and industry is for teachers to take sabbatical at business organisations in their field of expertise. Such involvement will facilitate mutual understanding of each other s strengths and challenges. In order to ensure that the teaching programmes and the curricula meet the challenging needs of the industry, senior personnel from industry should be involved as expert members of the committees which vet changes in curricula as well as new academic programmes. To provide a real-life exposure of the industrial world to its students, a vacation training programme can be organised. Programme can include industrial training of faculty and students with a built-in provision of incentives as well as for the appointment of adjunct faculty from the industry. Provision of having honourary professors/faculty both from the industry and R&D organisation gives an exposure to the students of interacting with working professionals. Several laboratories have been sponsored by the industry. Softwares worth millions of rupees have been donated by Technology companies. Knowledge transfer The industry can hire significant number of students. This is a highly effective form of technology transfer. While working in the industry, students frequently return to universities and colleges to recruit new students. Industry and government research relationships Many researchers are working in advisory or consulting capacities with a number of companies. In some cases principal investigators in research hold positions on the technical advisory board. Large scale collaborative projects are also being carried out in certain institutions.

Summer camps These can be arranged in collaboration with the industry to expose the students to various academic and extra curricular activities. These can comprise a series of lectures and presentations from distinguished professionals from the industry and academia, video shows on some industry projects, group discussions, debates and field trip to some industrial houses. These camps serve as a forum for the development of over all personality, leadership, organisational skills and exemplary team work which are essential for a successful career in addition to academic activities. Camps provide a platform for professionals to enrich the participants with their first hand experiences in the field and their professional expertise. Provision for scale up operation Most of our students develop new products or processes which are restricted as bench experiments. Due to non-availability of scale up processes as a result of capital and operational cost, the research is not able to reach the market.Interaction and informal tie ups can ensure successful implementation of work developed in the institution. Consultancy services Academic institutions can help the industrial houses by providing consultancy services which are sought by small-scale entrepreneurs having no access to R&D and quality control facilities. It can be in the form of evaluation of products, processes, software development etc. Important principles for industry academic interaction Following principles can be used as guidelines: a) Open academic environment: It is the responsibility of the administration, the academic senate and departmental faculty to establish appropriate norms for existence of an open environment b) Freedom to publish: Freedom to publish is fundamental to the university and is a major criterion for the research project. Faculty should be encouraged to engage in outside projects. These at the same time, should not interfere with their performance of teaching and research duties.