BARC transfers five rural technologies to MSMEs at GITAM
Five technologies developed by the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) for rural and societal use were transferred to local Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) on Monday, taking laboratory innovations closer to the market.
The transfer was made under BARC’s Advanced Knowledge for Rural Technology Implementation (AKRUTI) programme at GITAM Deemed to be University, through the Department of Science and Technology’s GITAM Technology Enabling Centre (DST G-TEC). The BARC AKRUTI Kendra, inaugurated at the university’s Venture Development Centre, will link research institutions with enterprises seeking to commercialise rural solutions.
The innovations are a Soil Organic Carbon Detection Kit for rapid soil-health assessment; a Foldable Solar Dryer for post-harvest processing; BARC-Hydrogel (MRIDAMRT) for better soil-moisture retention; a Vibro Thermal Disinfector for seed treatment; and a manually operated bamboo-cutting kit for rural artisans.
Daniel Babu, Head of BARC’s Technology Transfer and Collaboration Division, said AKRUTI aimed to make advanced technologies affordable for rural and semi-urban communities. Enterprises built on BARC and Department of Atomic Energy technologies could also create rural livelihoods, he noted.
Krishna Kanth Pulicherla, Scientist ‘E’ at the Department of Science and Technology’s Technology Transfer and Innovation Division, said that despite the volume of academic research, converting it into products for societal use remained a challenge. G-TEC was bridging the gap by linking BARC technologies with MSMEs and helping them move from patents to marketable products, he said.
P.K. Mishra, Head of the Advanced Light Water Reactor Division at BARC, Visakhapatnam, said commercial partnerships were essential to scale up prototypes. He called for greater emphasis on the indigenous design and ownership of technologies with wider applications.
GITAM Registrar D. Gunasekharan said G-TEC was facilitating technology adoption in Andhra Pradesh and urged MSMEs to make use of the available innovations.
G-TEC Coordinator Raja P. Pappu said more BARC technologies would be brought to the region to support rural enterprises and employment. Industry representatives, MSME entrepreneurs and GITAM faculty attended.