Monthly Coverage Dossier February 2018

Prepared by

IIT Madras is a campus of choice for high ranking JEE students

Date: 5th February 2018 Publication: The Times of India- Education Times Edition: Delhi Page no.: 2 Journalist: Shyna Kalra Professor: Prof. V Jagadeesh Kumar Headline: Dual Degree URL: http://www.educationtimes.com/article/264/2018020520180203170753203223eb0c6/-Dual- degree.html

IIT Madras is a multi-cultural campus Date: 20th February 2018 Publication: Web India Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof R Nagarajan Headline: IIT-Madras to host 'A Day@IITM' on Feb 25 URL: https://news.webindia123.com/news/Articles/India/20180219/3280155.html

IIT-Madras to host 'A Day@IITM' on Feb 25

The Indian Institute of Technology-Madras would host the Sixth edition of 'A Day@IITM,' an event intended to showcase the Institute to prospective students and parents, on February 25. The objective was to highlight the salient features that enabled IIT-M to be ranked as the No.1 among engineering institutions in the India Rankings 2016 and 2017 released by the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), Union HRD Ministry. The event, being organized by the Alumni and International Relations office, would help prospective freshmen learn about the campus life at IIT-M and to clear the doubts they might have while going through the counselling process, an IIT-M release on Monday said.

Speaking about the event, Prof R Nagrajan, Dean (International and Alumni Relations), IIT-M said "when you visit our campus, you will see why IIT-Madras has been ranked by NIRF as the Best Engineering Institute in the country for two consecutive years.''''We have amazing facilities and top- notch faculty, plus some of the brightest students around. We also host many international students and faculty on campus to give it that global flavour. Our alumni network is strong and supportive'', he added. During the program, there would be briefings about curriculum, facilities, infrastructure, campus culture, festivals, co-curricular and extra-curricular activities as well. The prospective students would also be given an exposure to the breadth of opportunities available at the Institute such as Research, International Exchange, Entrepreneurship, incubation and Placement.

The basic idea was to encourage students from classes eight to 12 to take up engineering as a career option and to make them familiar to what a student's daily life in an IIT was.

This year's edition was back with many things such as a Campus Tour covering the Centre for Innovation (CFI) and Heritage Centre, Interaction with Students and Alumni, an Introduction to life at IIT Madras by the Institute Branding Cell team members of International and Alumni Relations Student Council.

Date: 20th February 2018 Publication: DT Next (clip attached) Edition: Chennai Page No: 4 Journalist: NA Professor: Prof R Nagarajan Headline: A day@IITM for prospective students on Feb 25

Date: 20th February 2018 Publication: UNI Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof R Nagarajan Headline: IIT-Madras to host 'A Day@IITM' on Feb 25 URL: http://www.uniindia.com/iit-madras-to-host-a-day@iitm-on-feb25/states/news/1143220.html

IIT-Madras to host 'A Day@IITM' on Feb 25

Chennai, Feb 19 (UNI) The Indian Institute of Technology-Madras would host the Sixth edition of ‘A Day@IITM,’ an event intended to showcase the Institute to prospective students and parents, on February 25.

The objective was to highlight the salient features that enabled IIT-M to be ranked as the No.1 among engineering institutions in the India Rankings 2016 and 2017 released by the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), Union HRD Ministry.

The event, being organized by the Alumni and International Relations office, would help prospective freshmen learn about the campus life at IIT-M and to clear the doubts they might have while going through the counselling process, an IIT-M release on Monday said.

Speaking about the event, Prof R Nagrajan, Dean (International and Alumni Relations), IIT-M said “when you visit our campus, you will see why IIT-Madras has been ranked by NIRF as the Best Engineering Institute in the country for two consecutive years.''

''We have amazing facilities and top-notch faculty, plus some of the brightest students around. We also host many international students and faculty on campus to give it that global flavour. Our alumni network is strong and supportive'', he added.

During the program, there would be briefings about curriculum, facilities, infrastructure, campus culture, festivals, co-curricular and extra-curricular activities as well. The prospective students would also be given an exposure to the breadth of opportunities available at the Institute such as Research, International Exchange, Entrepreneurship, incubation and Placement.

The basic idea was to encourage students from classes eight to 12 to take up engineering as a career option and to make them familiar to what a student's daily life in an IIT was. This year's edition was back with many things such as a Campus Tour covering the Centre for Innovation (CFI) and Heritage Centre, Interaction with Students and Alumni, an Introduction to life at IIT Madras by the Institute Branding Cell team members of International and Alumni Relations Student Council.

Date: 21st February 2018 Publication: The Hindu Edition: Chennai Page No: 3 Journalist: NA Headline: Sixth edition of 'A day at IIT-Madras' Date: 22nd February 2018 Publication: The Hindu Tamil Edition: Chennai Page No: 3 Journalist: NA Headline: IIT Madras conducting awareness program on 25th Feb

IIT Madras is an industry friendly Institute Date: 2nd February 2018 Publication: The Hindu Business Line Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof. Bhaskar Ramamurthy Headline: Plan for 5G technology will help developers: IIT URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/budget/plan-for-5g-technology-will-help- developers-iit/article22625558.ece

Plan for 5G technology will help developers: IIT

The plan for IIT Madras and Department of Technology, Government of India working together on 5G technology will help tech developers live test their products.

Referring to the Finance Minister’s Budget announcement on the Department setting up a Development Centre to test 5G tech at IIT Madras, Bhaskar Ramamurthi, Director, IIT Madras, told Business Line that the proposal is to build an end-to-end test bed for 5G technology located at multiple locations at some of these institutes, interconnected by a high-speed optical fibre network.

It will incorporate several new technologies developed initially, and compliant with emerging global 5G standard to which India is making significant contributions. In particular it will include Internet of Things, Millimeter Wave Communications, Massive MIMO, Software Defined Networking, Network Function Virtualisation, LiFi, and Network Security, he said.

It will enable technology developers across the country, particularly the start-ups to live-test their products for compliance and performance by connecting to the test bed. It is expected that several start-ups will emerge from this nation wide effort to build next-generation wireless technologies based on our own IP. IIT Madras is lead institution for executing this project, he said.

Cellular Operators Association of India website said that 5G is not only about handling existing systems more efficiently but also cater to new possibilities. Date: 2nd February 2018 Publication: The Hindu Business Line Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof. Bhaskar Ramamurthy Headline: Plan for 5G technology will help developers: IIT URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/budget/plan-for-5g-technology-will-help- developers-iit/article22625558.ece

Plan for 5G technology will help developers: IIT

The plan for IIT Madras and Department of Technology, Government of India working together on 5G technology will help tech developers live test their products.

Cellular Operators Association of India website said that 5G is not only about handling existing systems more efficiently but also cater to new possibilities. Date: 2nd February 2018 Publication: The Times of India Edition: Chennai Page no.: 14 Journalist: NA Professor: Prof. Bhaskar Ramamurthi & Prof. David Koilpillai Headline: Telecom to partner with IIT-M for 5G test drive URL: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/telecom-to-partner-with-iit-m-for-5g-test- drive/articleshow/62748130.cms

Date: 2nd February 2018 Publication: The Hindu Edition: Chennai Page no.: 15 Journalist: R. Sujatha Professor: Prof. Bhaskar Ramamurthi Headline: Experts welcome focus on higher education URL: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/experts-welcome-focus-on-higher- education/article22626513.ece

Date: 2nd February 2018 Publication: Deccan Chronicle Edition: Chennai Page no.: 1 Journalist: NA Professor: Prof. Bhaskar Ramamurthi Headline: 5G test bed to be established at IIT Madras URL: https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/current-affairs/020218/union-budget-2018-5g-test- bed-to-be-established-at-iit-madras.html

Date: 2nd February 2018 Publication: The New Indian Express Edition: Chennai/Bangalore Page no.: 4 Journalist: SV Krishna Chaitanya Professor: Prof. Bhaskar Ramamurthi Headline: Coming up: 5G test bed at IIT-Madras URL: http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil-nadu/2018/feb/02/coming-up-5g-test-bed-at- iit-madras-1767079.html

Date: 2nd February 2018 Publication: The News Minute Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: Union Budget 2018: ArunJaitley announces 5G test centre at IIT Madras URL: https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/union-budget-2018-arun-jaitley-announces-5g-test- centre-iit-madras-75747

Union Budget 2018: ArunJaitley announces 5G test centre at IIT Madras

In an effort to keep up with global markets and roll out 5th-generation mobile networks by 2020, Finance Minister ArunJaitley said on Thursday that the Department of Telecom (DoT) will support a 5G test bed at IIT Madras.

5G technology is being standardised globally to enable Internet of Things (IoT) applications.

The centre at IIT Madras is expected to work on the development of IoT and machine-to-machine applications suited for India."The setting up of a 5G centre in collaboration with IIT Madras will help India become an early adopter of the next-generation technology, rather than being a laggard later," said Hemant Joshi, a partner at Deloitte India.

"This could be a boon for the telecom industry and guide telecom operators to move to next-gen networks efficiently and effectively. India could take lead in setting up standards for the next- generation technologies," Hemant added.Last November, global communications technology leader Ericsson showcased the first-ever live 5G end-to-end demonstration in the country.

According to Ericsson, 5G technology will enable a $27.3 billion revenue potential for the Indian telecom operators by 2026."The 5G technology showcase has been organised in the direction of creating a robust 5G ecosystem as the government plans to have the 5G network roll out by 2020," said NunzioMirtillo, Head of Market Area-South East Asia, Oceania and India, Ericsson.

"2017 was significant for the telecom sector as India skipped from 2G to 4G with all the telecom players focusing on 4G. The focus on creation and augmentation of telecom infrastructure in 2018- 19 and efforts of government towards 5G is worthy of applause," said VinuCheriyan, CFO & Director Operations at Sennheiser Electronics India Pvt Ltd.

According to Jay Chen, CEO, Huawei Telecommunications, India, the budget laid down plans to connect additional 1.5 lakh gram panchayats with fibre optic networks under the "BharatNet".

"This will create access and affordability and will help in bridging the digital divide even further," Chen said in a statement.

Date: 2nd February 2018 Publication: BGR Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: Testing facility at IIT Chennai to help India speed up 5G roll out URL: http://www.bgr.in/news/testing-facility-at-iit-chennai-to-help-india-speed-up-5g-roll-out/

Testing facility at IIT Chennai to help India speed up 5G roll out

The center at IIT-Chennai can work on the development of IoT and Machine to Machine applications which are relevant and best suited for India. “The setting up of 5G centre in collaboration with IIT Chennai would help India being early adopter of the next generation technology rather than being a laggard,” said Hemant Joshi, Partner, Deloitte India.

Last November, global communications technology leader Ericsson showcased the first-ever live 5G end-to-end demonstration in the country. According to Ericsson, 5G technology will enable a $27.3 billion revenue potential for the Indian telecom operators by 2026.

“The 5G technology showcase has been organized in the direction of creating a robust 5G ecosystem as the government plans to have 5G network rollout by 2020,” said NunzioMirtillo, Head of Market Area-SE Asia, Oceania and India, Ericsson.

“2017 was significant for the telecom sector as India skipped from 2G to 4G with all the telecom players focusing on 4G. The focus on creation and augmentation of telecom infrastructure in 2018- 19 and efforts of the government towards 5G is really applaudable,” said VinuCheriyan, CFO & Director Operations at Sennheiser Electronics India Pvt Ltd.

According to Jay Chen, CEO, Huawei Telecommunications India, the budget laid down plans to connect additional 1.5 lakh gram panchayats with fibre optic networks under the “BharatNet”. “This will create access and affordability and will help in bridging the digital divide even further,” Chen said in a statement.

Date: 2nd February 2018 Publication: News X Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: Testing facility at IIT Madras to help India speed up 5G roll out, says Deloitte India URL: https://www.newsx.com/science-and-technology/testing-facility-at-iit-chennai-to-help-india- speed-up-5g-roll-out-says-deloitte-india

In a thrust to roll out 5G in 2020 in line with the global markets, Finance Minister ArunJaitley said on Thursday that the Department of Telecom (DoT) will support a 5G-test bed at IIT Chennai. The 5G technology is being standardised globally to enable the Internet of Things (IoT) applications. The centre at IIT-Chennai can work on the development of IoT and Machine to Machine applications which are relevant and best suited for India. “The setting up of 5G centre in collaboration with IIT Chennai would help India being an early adopter of the next generation technology rather than being a laggard,” said Hemant Joshi, Partner, Deloitte India.

“This could be a boon for the telecom industry and guide the telecom operators to move to next-gen networks efficiently and effectively. India could take lead in setting up standards for the next- generation technologies,” Joshi added. Last November, global communications technology leader Ericsson showcased the first-ever live 5G end-to-end demonstration in the country. According to Ericsson, 5G technology will enable a $27.3 billion revenue potential for the Indian telecom operators by 2026. “The 5G technology showcase has been organised in the direction of creating a robust 5G ecosystem as the government plans to have 5G network rollout by 2020,” said NunzioMirtillo, Head of Market Area-SE Asia, Oceania and India, Ericsson.

The largest 5G opportunity will be seen in sectors like manufacturing, energy and utilities followed by public safety and health sectors. The retail sector in India will offer potential 5G-enabled revenue of up to $1.15 billion by 2026. “2017 was significant for the telecom sector as India skipped from 2G to 4G with all the telecom players focusing on 4G. The focus on creation and augmentation of telecom infrastructure in 2018-19 and efforts of the government towards 5G is really applaudable,” said VinuCheriyan, CFO & Director Operations at Sennheiser Electronics India Pvt Ltd.

Date: 2nd February 2018 Publication: ET Telecom Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: Budget 2018: Telecom department to support IIT Chennai 5G test bed, says ArunJaitley URL: https://telecom.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/budget-2018-telecom-department-to- support-iit-chennai-5g-test-bed-says-arun-jaitley-/62738288

Finance minister ArunJaitley said Thursday that the telecom department (DoT) will support a 5Gtechnologies test bed that would be anchored out of IIT Chennai, giving a clear signal that the Modi government means to ensure India does not lag behind the rest of the world in launching 5G services.

The 5G test bed is also expected to be a key enabler for standards and devices that would be needed for 5G rollout and usage.

Jaitley's 5G-related budget proposal indicates India seeks to be at the forefront of development as well as local manufacturing of 5G devices, going forward.

The government is aiming to toll out 5G in 2020, in line with global markets.

The FM's budget proposal comes less than two months after Telecom Minister ManojSinha had said the new telecom policy would be suitably aligned to ensure India is 5G ready and in sync with the world's top telecom markets.

Having lagged on both the 3G and 4G fronts, Jaitley's 5G-push in the Budget 2018-19, reflects government's resolve to draw level with the rest of the world on 5G, which is a next-generation mobile technology that promises blistering download speeds of 20 GBs/second against 1 GB/second on a 4G network.

Last month, telecom minister Sinha had said the government is going flat out to foster a vibrant 5G ecosystem by constituting an apex forum headed by the telecom secretary that is formulating a 5G roadmap to position India as a globally synchronised participant in the design, development and manufacture of 5G-based technologies, products and apps.

This is since the government is betting big on 5G which is expected to deliver new levels of performance and efficiency and offer opportunities for myriad apps and business models that could potentially lead to better healthcare, smarter cities, more efficient manufacturing and enhanced lifestyles.

Date: 2nd February 2018 Publication: The Hindu Business Line Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: DoT to set up 5G development centre in tie-up with IIT Chennai URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/budget/dot-to-set-up-5g-development- centre-in-tie-up-with-iit-chennai/article22618896.ece

The Finance Minister has announced that the Department of Telecom will set up a development centre to work on 5G technologies in partnership with IIT, Chennai. 5G technology is still being standardised globally and India has the opportunity to take the lead in the development of this technology. 5G will enable applications such as Internet of Things and Machine-to-Machine internet.

However, the Centre had earlier tried to set up such centres in India for technologies such as Wi- Max. This initiative did not take off. It is yet to be seen how the DoT will execute the setting up of the new centre and if it will be able to attract quality engineers and researchers to work on 5G technologies.

Action has already begun in 5G technology in educational institutions with Ericsson and IIT Delhi signing an MoU to jointly roll out a ‘5G for India’ programme. Ericsson will set up a Center of Excellence with a 5G test bed and incubation center at IIT Delhi and use this facility to drive development of the country’s 5G ecosystem. In addition to hosting the Center of Excellence, IIT Delhi will conduct research and development to explore how some of the country’s challenges can be addressed with mobile technologies.

The Cellular Operators' Association of India website said 5G is not only about handling existing systems more efficiently but also catering to new possibilities and to use cases, many of which are yet not known. It is envisaged that 5G will cater to scalability and adaptability across extreme variations in consumer requirements.

Date: 3rd February 2018 Publication: The Economic Times Edition: Delhi/Mumbai/Hyderabad/Bangalore/Kolkata/Ahmedabad/Pune/Chennai/Kochi Page no.: 2 Journalist: NA Professor: Prof. Bhaskar Ramamurthi Headline: IITs & NITs Give the Thumbs up to RISE Mode URL: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/services/education/iits-nits-give-the-thumbs- up-to-rise-model/articleshow/62761697.cms

Date: 3rd February 2018 Publication: News World India Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: 5G Development Centre In IIT Chennai, Announces FM ArunJaitley URL: http://www.newsworldindia.in/business/5g-development-centre-in-iit-chennai-announces-fm- arun-jaitley/287426/

On 1st February, the Finance Minister ArunJaitley presented the annual budget 2018-19 in Parliament and along declared that the Department of Telecom will set up a development centre to work on 5G advancements in association with IIT, Chennai.

5G technology is as yet being standardized internationally and India has the chance to lead the pack in the advancement of this technology. 5G will empower applications like the Internet of Things and Machine-to-Machine internet.

Nonetheless, the Center had earlier attempted to set up such centers in India for technology like Wi-Max but the initiative did not take off.

It is yet to be seen how the DoT will execute the setting up of the new center and on the off chance that it will have the capacity to draw in quality specialists and scientists to take a shot at 5G technologies.

Action has just started in 5G technologies in educational organizations with Ericsson and IIT Delhi signing a MoU to together reveal a '5G for India' program.

Ericsson will set up a Center of Excellence with a 5G test bed and incubation center at IIT Delhi and use this facility to develop country’s 5G ecosystem.

In addition to facilitating the Center of Excellence, IIT Delhi will direct research and development to investigate how a portion of the nation's difficulties can be addressed with mobile technologies

The Cellular Operators' Association of India website said 5G isn't just in regards to dealing with existing frameworks all the more effectively yet in addition obliging new conceivable outcomes.

Date: 19th February 2018 Publication: The Hindu Edition: Mumbai Page No: 1 Journalist: NA Headline: AI to boost productivity: Modi URL: http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/mumbai/ai-to-boost-productivity- modi/article22791948.ece

Date: 26th February 2018 Publication: The Times of India Edition: Chennai Page No: 3 Journalist: NA Headline: IIT-M to sign MoU with shipping ministry

Date: 26th February 2018 Publication: Dinamani Edition: Chennai Page No: 3 Journalist: NA Headline: Nitin Gadkari inaugurates National Technology Centre in IIT Madras

Date: 27th February 2018 Publication: The Hindu Edition: Chennai Page No: 6 Journalist: NA Professor: Prof Bhaskar Ramamurthi Headline: Methanol to be promoted as shipping fuel URL: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/methanol-to-be-promoted-as-shipping- fuel/article22861009.ece

Date: 27th February 2018 Publication: ET tech Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: IIT Madras and shipping ministry join hands URL: https://tech.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/internet/ettech-morning-briefing- refurbished-iphone-in-india-angel-tax-amazonnow-more/63086906

The shipping ministry has set up a centre in a joint initiative with IIT Madras to accelerate indigenous development of technology and patents, and reduce reliance on costly foreign consultations.

One of the central objectives of the National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways, and Coasts (NTCPWC) is to help increase the country’s capital and operational ability to handle complex port projects, while reducing costs arising primarily from foreign consultations.

What's the plan with this facility?

The centre, supported by the ministry’s flagship Sagarmala Project, will be located at the satellite campus of IIT Madras at Thaiyur, near Chennai. It is expected to serve as the technological arm of the shipping ministry, built at a total cost of Rs 70.53 crore (capital expenditure of Rs 44.79 crore and operational expenses of Rs 25.74 crore) to be shared by the shipping ministry, Inland Waterways Authority of India and major ports.

Some of the areas identified for applied research by the new centre are 2D and 3D modelling of ocean, coastal and estuarine flows, autonomous or self-driven platforms and vehicles, port and coastal engineering structures and breakwaters, dredging and siltation technology.

Date: 27th February 2018 Publication: The Times of India Edition: Online Journalist: Ranjani Ayyar Headline: C-DOT to set up 5G test bed facility in Delhi, Bengaluru URL: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/c-dot-to-set-up-5g-test-bed- facility-in-delhi-bengaluru/articleshow/63086286.cms

C-DOT to set up 5G test bed facility in Delhi, Bengaluru

Government tech development agency Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT) is setting up test bed facilities in Delhi and Bengaluru for 5G deployment.

5G simply stands for fifth generation and refers to the next and newest mobile wireless standard which isn’t expected until 2020. The tech will ensure faster data transfers and more efficient networks. “We have already started work in this area with some product development. Right now, we are in the process of setting up test bed facilities in Delhi and Bengaluru for 5G deployment,” said Anurag Gupta, group leader, 5G test bed, C-DOT.This comes close in heels with finance minister Arun Jaitley announcing a test bed facility in IIT-Madras for 5G deployment. “The IIT-Madras facility will definitely come up and that will be for collaboration with academic institutions C-DOT facilities will be for different corporates to partner with us. We have a complete spectrum of products including several indigenous products. Other innovators can also bring their products and collaborate with us and the facility. In a sense, C-DOT can offer a complete ecosystem that can be leveraged upon,” said Gupta on the sidelines of Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.The facilities will be set up in phases with the first phase being set up towards December 2018.

Date: 27th February 2018 Publication: Dinakaran Edition: Chennai Page No: 3 Journalist: NA Professor: Prof Bhaskar Ramamurthi Headline: IIT Madras - signing the Sagarmala Agreement between Central Shipping URL: http://www.dinakaran.com/News_Detail.asp?Nid=379274

Date: 27th February 2018 Publication: The Hindu Business Line Edition: Delhi / Hyderabad / Ahmedabad /Bangalore / Pune / Chennai / Kochi Page No: 17 Journalist: NA Headline: Shipping Ministry to set up technology centre at IIT-M URL: https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/shipping-ministry-to-set-up-technology-centre- at-iit-m/article22859626.ece

Date: 27th February 2018 Publication: The Financial Express Edition: Delhi / Mumbai / Pune / Bangalore / Hyderabad / Chennai / Kolkata / Kochi / Ahmedabad Page No: 14 Journalist: NA Headline: Plan to use methanol as fuel for maritime transport: Gadkari URL: http://www.financialexpress.com/india-news/government-plans-to-make-methanol-as-fuel- for-maritime-transport-says-nitin-gadkari/1080087/

Date: 27th February 2018 Publication: The Economic Times Edition: Bangalore Page No:5 Journalist: NA Headline: Shipping Ministry Sets Shop at IIT-M & to Upgrade Tech

Date: 27th February 2018 Publication: The Times of India Edition: Chennai Page No: 3 Journalist: M T Saju Headline: Documentary on agrarian crisis to be screened at IIT-Madras URL: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/documentary-on-agrarian-crisis-to-be- screened-at-iit-madras/articleshow/63084048.cms

Date: 27th February 2018 Publication: PTI Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: Profits from major ports to touch Rs 7,000 crore: Gadkari URL: http://www.ptinews.com/news/9522539_Profits-from-major-ports-to-touch-Rs-7-000-crore-- Gadkari.html

"The first year, when I took charge as Minister (in 2014) profits from these ports was Rs 3,000 crore. Next year, it was Rs 4,000 crore. Third year, it was Rs 5,000 crore. This year, we are expecting profits upto Rs 7,000 crore".

He noted that the role of all ports was very important as it creates a lot of jobs and boosts the economy.

He made the comments after unveiling a plaque commemerating the foundation stone laying ceremony of National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways and Coasts in collaboration with IIT Madras.

Gadkari said the ministry expects Rs 15 lakh crore investments under the ambitious 'Sagarmala' infrastructure development programme.

"Abour Rs four lakh crore investment we are expecting to be made in road connectivity, port-rail connectivity, modernisation and mechanisation of ports. Already, work worth Rs 2.80 lakh crore" has commenced, he said.

Under this progarmme, the ministry planned to develop Special Economic Zones, coastal development zones, industrial, petroleum and automobile clusters.

"In Mumbai, we plan on having an SEZ where we expect investments of Rs 40,000 crore. It will create about 1.25 lakh jobs", he said. Date: 27th February 2018 Publication: Smart Investor Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: Profits from major ports to touch Rs 7,000 crore: Gadkari URL: http://smartinvestor.business-standard.com/market/Marketnews-514991-Marketnewsdet- Profits_from_major_ports_to_touch_Rs_70_billion_this_year_Nitin_Gadkari.htm#.WpVXg2puaM9

Profits from major ports to touch Rs 70 billion this year: Nitin Gadkari

"The first year, when I took charge as Minister (in 2014) profits from these ports was Rs 30 billion. Next year, it was Rs 40 billion. Third year, it was Rs 50 billion. This year, we are expecting profits upto Rs 70 billion".

He noted that the role of all ports was very important as it creates a lot of jobs and boosts the economy.

He made the comments after unveiling a plaque commemerating the foundation stone laying ceremony of National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways and Coasts in collaboration with IIT Madras.

Gadkari said the ministry expects Rs 15 trillion investments under the ambitious 'Sagarmala' infrastructure development programme.

Under this progarmme, the ministry planned to develop Special Economic Zones, coastal development zones, industrial, petroleum and automobile clusters.

"In Mumbai, we plan on having an SEZ where we expect investments of Rs 400 billion. It will create about 125,000 jobs", he said.

Date: 27th February 2018 Publication: Mid Day Edition:Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof. K Murali Headline: Nitin Gadkari: Plan To Make Methanol As Fuel For Maritime Transport URL: https://www.mid-day.com/articles/nitin-gadkari-plan-to-make-methanol-as-fuel-for-maritime- transport/19121160

Gadkari Said The Government Has Decided To Convert 111 Rivers Into Waterways With A Length Of 20,000 Kilometres

The Centre on Monday said it planned to make methanol the fuel for all maritime transport, on account of lesser costs and pollution, compared to diesel. The fuel, which costs Rs 22 per litre,can be manufactured in India, but new technology was needed for the initiative, Union minister Nitin Gadkari said.

He pointed to the example of China, where methanol cost just Rs 17 per litre. "In China it is Rs 17 per litre. Rs 22 per litre of methanol (in India) is equal to one litre of diesel, which is Rs 60 today. Compared to diesel there is very less pollution (from methanol) also", the union minister for Road Transport, Highways and Shipping said.

He was speaking after unveiling a plaque as part of the foundation laying stone ceremony for the National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways and Coasts in joint collaboration with IIT Madras. "We are making a four multi-modal hub -- Varanasi, Haldia, Sagarganj, Sahibganj (across river Ganga) And at 60 river ports, we plan to use methanol as fuel", Gadkari said.

Gadkari said the government has decided to convert 111 rivers into waterways with a length of 20,000 kilometres. "For that we need technical assistance. That is one of the reasons today for the formation of National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways and Coasts is very very important. It can give us good technology of international standards and it can save costs", he said.

The Centre, to come up at nearby Thaiyur, would be an institute for technological innovations and evolution of new ideas and breakthroughs for the port and maritime sector. Of the total Rs 70 crore investment, Rs 30 crore would be contributed by Ministry of Shipping, Rs 15.87 crore by the Indian Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) and Rs 19.40 crore by big ports operating in the country, IIT Madras, Department of Ocean Engineering, Prof. K Murali said "The construction activity is set to begin by June. We expect it to become fully operational by end of 2019. It is coming up on a four acre land at Thaiyyur", he said. A website www.ntcpwc.iitm.ac.in with details of the Technology Centre and the projects planned was also unveiled on the occasion.

Date: 27th February 2018 Publication: Mint Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: Profits from major ports to touch Rs7,000 crore: Nitin Gadkari URL: http://www.livemint.com/Politics/ahoJ4etnEQKhI2BDpcdo1H/Profits-from-major-ports-to- touch-Rs7000-crore-Nitin-Gadka.html

Profits from major ports to touch Rs7,000 crore: Nitin Gadkari

Union minister Nitin Gadkari has said that profits from 12 major ports in the country was expected to touch Rs7,000 crore this year, up from Rs3,000 crore in 2014

Chennai: Profits from 12 major ports in the country was expected to touch Rs7,000 crore this year, up from Rs3,000 crore in 2014, Union minister of road transport and highways and shipping Nitin Gadkari said in Chennai on Monday.

“The first year, when I took charge as minister (in 2014) profits from these ports was Rs3,000 crore. Next year, it was Rs4,000 crore. Third year, it was Rs5,000 crore. This year, we are expecting profits up to Rs7,000 crore”.

He noted that the role of all ports was very important as it creates a lot of jobs and boosts the economy. He made the comments after unveiling a plaque commemorating the foundation stone laying ceremony of National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways and Coasts in collaboration with IIT Madras.

Gadkari said the ministry expects Rs15 lakh crore investments under the ambitious ‘Sagarmala’ infrastructure development programme. “Abour Rs4 trillion investment we are expecting to be made in road connectivity, port-rail connectivity, modernisation and mechanisation of ports. Already, work worth Rs2.80 trillion” has commenced, he said.

Under this programme, the ministry planned to develop Special Economic Zones (SEZs), coastal development zones, industrial, petroleum and automobile clusters. “In Mumbai, we plan on having an SEZ where we expect investments of Rs40,000 crore. It will create about 1.25 lakh jobs”, he said.

Date: 27th February 2018 Publication: Money Control Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: Profits from major ports to touch Rs7,000 crore: Nitin Gadkari URL: https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/economy/profits-from-major-ports-to-touch- rs-7000-crore-union-minister-nitin-gadkari-2516539.html

Profits from major ports to touch Rs 7,000 crore: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari

Profits from 12 major ports in the country was expected to touch Rs 7,000 crore this year, up from Rs 3,000 crore in 2014, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways and Shipping Nitin Gadkari said on Monday.

He noted that the role of all ports was very important as it creates a lot of jobs and boosts the economy.

He made the comments after unveiling a plaque commemorating the foundation stone laying ceremony of National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways and Coasts in collaboration with IIT Madras.

Date: 27th February 2018 Publication: Daily Shipping Times Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: Gadkari lay foundation stone for establishing Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways, Coasts at IIT-M URL: http://www.dailyshippingtimes.com/news-upload/upload/fullnews.php?fn_id=18995

CHENNAI: Shri Nitin Gadkari, Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Shipping and Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation laid the foundation stone for setting up of a National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways and Coasts (NTCPWC), at IIT Chennai. The Ministry of Shipping and IIT Chennai also signed an MoU for this at the event.

NTCPWC, being set up under the Shipping Ministry’s flagship programme Sagarmala, will act as a technology arm of the Ministry of Shipping for providing engineering and technological inputs and support for Ports, Inland Waterways Authority of India and other institutions. It will carry on applied research in the areas of 2D and 3D Modelling of ocean, coastal and estuarine flows, sediment transport and morphodynamics, navigation and maneuvering, dredging and siltation, port and coastal engineering-structures and breakwaters, autonomous platforms and vehicles, experimental and CFD modeling of flow and hull interaction, hydrodynamics of multiple hulls and ocean renewable energy. The centre will provide indigenous software and technology, make technical guidelines and standards and address port and maritime issues with models and simulations. The centre will not only help generate new technology and innovations but also work towards their successful commercialization. It will provide learning opportunities for the people working in Ministry of Shipping.

NTCPWC is being set up at a cost of Rs 70.53 crore to be shared by Ministry of Shipping, IWAI and the Major Ports. Ministry of Shipping’s grant is towards capital expenditure for creating facilities like Field Research Facility (FRF), Sedimentation and Erosion Management Test Basin and Ship/Tow Simulator. The centre will be self sustainable in three years through industry consultancy projects for Indian and global port and maritime sector.

The setting up of NTCPWC would give a boost to the development of indigenous technology relevant to the port and maritime sector in India. This would also be a major shot in the arm for the Government’s ‘Make in India” programme, and provide a push to its Sagar Mala programme Envisioned as a world class state-of-the - art centre, NTCPWC will be a hub for latest technology tools and reduce our dependence on foreign institutions. It will also reduce the cost of research drastically and result in cost and time savings for work in the port and maritime sector. Date: 27th February 2018 Publication: Port Wings Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: Gadkari lay foundation stone for establishing Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways, Coasts at IIT-M URL: http://portwings.in/gadkari-lays-foundation-for-national-technology-centre-for-ports- waterways-and-coasts-at-iit-chennai/

Gadkari Lays Foundation for National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways and Coasts at IIT Chennai

Nitin Gadkari, Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Shipping and Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation laid the foundation stone for setting up of a National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways and Coasts (NTCPWC), at IIT Chennai on 26 February 2018. The Ministry of Shipping and IIT Chennai also signed an MoU for this at the event.

Envisioned as a world class state-of-the – art centre, NTCPWC will be a hub for latest technology tools and reduce our dependence on foreign institutions. It will also reduce the cost of research drastically and result in cost and time savings for work in the port and maritime sector. Date: 27th February 2018 Publication: Corporate Ethos Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: Ministry of Shipping to Set Up Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways URL: http://corporateethos.com/public-sector/ministry-of-shipping-to-set-up-technology-centre-for- ports-waterways/

Ministry of Shipping to Set Up Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways The Ministry of Shipping will set up a National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways and Coasts (NTCPWC) at IIT Chennai. The foundation stone was laid by Mr Nitin Gadkari, Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Shipping and Water Resources.

Date: 27th February 2018 Publication: UNI Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: Gadkari lay foundation stone for establishing Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways, Coasts at IIT-M URL: http://www.uniindia.com/gadkari-lay-foundation-stone-for-establishing-technology-centre-for- ports-waterways-coasts-at-iit-m/states/news/1150911.html

Gadkari lay foundation stone for establishing Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways, Coasts at IIT-M

Chennai, Feb 26 (UNI) Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Shipping and Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Nitin Gadkari on Monday laid the foundation stone for setting up a National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways and Coasts (NTCPWC) at IIT- Madras.

The NTCPWC, supported by the Sagarmala project, would work to modernize India’s ports and fast track waterways and it would be a strategic and innovation -oriented initiative tasked with bringing in cutting-edge technology to India's ports, waterways and maritime Sector.

The NTCPWC would work as the technology arm of Ministry of Shipping providing the needful technological support to ports, Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) and other institutions.

It would focus on technological innovations and evolution of new ideas and breakthroughs for the port, waterways and maritime sector and provide effective solutions to an extensive range of problems being faced in the industry through scientific support and carry out education, applied research and technology transfer.

The inception of NTCPWC was an answer to a key need and signifies a major leap in indigenous and cutting-edge technology support in the port and maritime sector.

IIT-Madras signed a MoA with the Shipping Ministry for setting up the NTCPWC in the presence of Mr Gadkari and Union Minister of State for Transport and Shipping Pon Radhakrishnan at an event held at IIT-M.

Date: 27th February 2018 Publication: India Today Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof. K Murali Headline: Plan to make methanol as fuel for maritime transport: Gadkari URL: https://www.indiatoday.in/pti-feed/story/plan-to-make-methanol-as-fuel-for-maritime- transport-gadkari-1177887-2018-02-26

Plan to make methanol as fuel for maritime transport: Gadkari

The Centre today said it planned to make methanol the fuel for all maritime transport, on account of lesser costs and pollution, compared to diesel. The fuel, which costs Rs 22 per litre,can be manufactured in India, but new technology was needed for the initiative, Union minister Nitin Gadkari said. He pointed to the example of China, where methanol cost just Rs 17 per litre. "In China it is Rs 17 per litre. Rs 22 per litre of methanol (in India) is equal to one litre of diesel, which is Rs 60 today. Compared to diesel there is very less pollution (from methanol) also", the union minister for Road Transport, Highways and Shipping said. He was speaking after unveiling a plaque as part of the foundation laying stone ceremony for the National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways and Coasts in joint collaboration with IIT Madras. "We are making a four multi-modal hub -- Varanasi, Haldia, Sagarganj, Sahibganj (across river Ganga) And at 60 river ports, we plan to use methanol as fuel", Gadkari said. Gadkari said the government has decided to convert 111 rivers into waterways with a length of 20,000 kilometres. "For that we need technical assistance. That is one of the reasons today for the formation of National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways and Coasts is very very important. It can give us good technology of international standards and it can save costs", he said. The Centre, to come up at nearby Thaiyur, would be an institute for technological innovations and evolution of new ideas and breakthroughs for the port and maritime sector. Of the total Rs 70 crore investment, Rs 30 crore would be contributed by Ministry of Shipping, Rs 15.87 crore by the Indian Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) and Rs 19.40 crore by big ports operating in the country, IIT Madras, Department of Ocean Engineering, Prof. K Murali said "The construction activity is set to begin by June. We expect it to become fully operational by end of 2019. It is coming up on a four acre land at Thaiyyur", he said. A website www.ntcpwc.iitm.ac.in with details of the Technology Centre and the projects planned was also unveiled on the occasion. PTI VIJ APR APR

Date: 27th February 2018 Publication: IndiaToday Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof. K Murali Headline: Profits from major ports to touch Rs 7,000 crore: Gadkari URL: https://www.indiatoday.in/pti-feed/story/profits-from-major-ports-to-touch-rs-7000-crore- gadkari-1177968-2018-02-26

Profits from major ports to touch Rs 7,000 crore: Gadkari

Chennai, Feb 26 (PTI) Profits from 12 major ports in the country was expected to touch Rs 7,000 crore this year, up from Rs 3,000 crore in 2014, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways and Shipping Nitin Gadkari said here today. "The first year, when I took charge as Minister (in 2014) profits from these ports was Rs 3,000 crore. Next year, it was Rs 4,000 crore. Third year, it was Rs 5,000 crore. This year, we are expecting profits upto Rs 7,000 crore". He noted that the role of all ports was very important as it creates a lot of jobs and boosts the economy. He made the comments after unveiling a plaque commemerating the foundation stone laying ceremony of National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways and Coasts in collaboration with IIT Madras. Gadkari said the ministry expects Rs 15 lakh crore investments under the ambitious Sagarmala infrastructure development programme. "Abour Rs four lakh crore investment we are expecting to be made in road connectivity, port-rail connectivity, modernisation and mechanisation of ports. Already, work worth Rs 2.80 lakh crore" has commenced, he said. Under this progarmme, the ministry planned to develop Special Economic Zones, coastal development zones, industrial, petroleum and automobile clusters. "In Mumbai, we plan on having an SEZ where we expect investments of Rs 40,000 crore. It will create about 1.25 lakh jobs", he said. PTI VIJ APR APR

Date: 27th February 2018 Publication: News 18 Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof. K Murali Headline: Plan to Make Methanol as Fuel for Maritime Transport: Nitin Gadkari URL: https://www.outlookindia.com/newsscroll/plan-to-make-methanol-as-fuel-for-maritime- transport-gadkari/1261012l

Plan to make methanol as fuel for maritime transport: Gadkari

Chennai, Feb 26 : The Centre today said it planned to make methanol the fuel for all maritime transport, on account of lesser costs and pollution, compared to diesel.

The fuel, which costs Rs 22 per litre,can be manufactured in India, but new technology was needed for the initiative, Union minister Nitin Gadkari said.

He pointed to the example of China, where methanol cost just Rs 17 per litre.

"In China it is Rs 17 per litre. Rs 22 per litre of methanol (in India) is equal to one litre of diesel, which is Rs 60 today. Compared to diesel there is very less pollution (from methanol) also", the union minister for Road Transport, Highways and Shipping said.

He was speaking after unveiling a plaque as part of the foundation laying stone ceremony for the National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways and Coasts in joint collaboration with IIT Madras.

"We are making a four multi-modal hub -- Varanasi, Haldia, Sagarganj, Sahibganj (across river Ganga) And at 60 river ports, we plan to use methanol as fuel", Gadkari said.

Gadkari said the government has decided to convert 111 rivers into waterways with a length of 20,000 kilometres.

"For that we need technical assistance. That is one of the reasons today for the formation of National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways and Coasts is very very important. It can give us good technology of international standards and it can save costs", he said.

The Centre, to come up at nearby Thaiyur, would be an institute for technological innovations and evolution of new ideas and breakthroughs for the port and maritime sector.

"The construction activity is set to begin by June. We expect it to become fully operational by end of 2019. It is coming up on a four acre land at Thaiyyur", he said.

Date: 27th February 2018 Publication: Outlok Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof. K Murali Headline: Plan to Make Methanol as Fuel for Maritime Transport: Nitin Gadkari URL: https://www.news18.com/news/business/plan-to-make-methanol-as-fuel-for-maritime- transport-nitin-gadkari-1673095.html

Plan to Make Methanol as Fuel for Maritime Transport: Nitin Gadkari

The Centre on Monday said it planned to make methanol the fuel for all maritime transport, on account of lesser costs and pollution, compared to diesel.

The fuel, which costs Rs 22 per litre, can be manufactured in India, but new technology was needed for the initiative, Union minister Nitin Gadkari said.

He pointed to the example of China, where methanol cost just Rs 17 per litre.

He was speaking after unveiling a plaque as part of the foundation laying stone ceremony for the National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways and Coasts in joint collaboration with IIT Madras. The Centre, to come up at nearby Thaiyur, would be an institute for technological innovations and evolution of new ideas and breakthroughs for the port and maritime sector.

Of the total Rs 70 crore investment, Rs 30 crore would be contributed by Ministry of Shipping, Rs 15.87 crore by the Indian Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) and Rs 19.40 crore by big ports operating in the country, IIT Madras, Department of Ocean Engineering, Prof. K Murali said Date: 27th February 2018 Publication: Nagaland Post Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof Bhaskar Ramamurthi Headline: ‘Working on new marine technologies to cut costs’ URL: http://www.nagalandpost.com/ChannelNews/National/NationalNews.aspx?news=TkVXUzEwM DEyOTAzMA%3D%3D

Working on new marine technologies to cut costs’

The Central government is working on different new technologies, including fuel, for maritime transport to cut costs, said Union Shipping and Water Resources Minister Nitin Gadkari here on Monday.

“We are working with lot of new technologies nowadays. We are planning to use methanol as a fuel for all our maritime transport, which is highly cost effective and less polluting in comparison to diesel,” he said after laying the foundation stone for the National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways and Coasts (NTCPWC), at Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IITM).

The NTCPWC will work towards modernising India’s ports and fast track waterways, said Gadkari.

The Centre will be a strategic and innovation-oriented initiative tasked with bringing cutting edge technology to India’s ports, waterways and maritime sector, he said, adding that the Central government is extending a financial support of around Rs 70 crore initially and later the centre will become self-sustaining. However the event had its share of controversy over charges that the Central government trying to impose Sanskrit after the students sang the invocation song in the classical language without playing the “Tamizh Thai Vazhthu (Invocation for Mother Tamil)”. In a statement issued here, PMK founder S. Ramadoss condemened the act of not singing “Tamizh Thai Vazthu” while singing an invocation in Sanskrit. However IITM Director Bhakar Ramamurthi clarified that it was the students who came forward on their own to sing the invocation song in Sanskrit. He said IITM does not have the practice of playing a recorded song and added that there is nothing wrong in singing “Tamizh Thai Vazhthu” and it could be sung in the future.

Date: 27th February 2018 Publication: Jagran Josh Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: Nitin Gadkari lays foundation stone for NTCPWC at IIT Chennai URL: https://www.jagranjosh.com/current-affairs/nitin-gadkari-lays-foundation-stone-for-ntcpwc- at-iit-chennai-1519719735-1

Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Shipping and Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation, on February 26, 2018 laid the foundation stone for setting up of a National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways and Coasts (NTCPWC) at IIT Chennai.

The Union Ministry of Shipping and IIT Chennai also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in this regard.

National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways and Coasts (NTCPWC)

• NTCPWC will be set up under the Union Shipping Ministry’s flagship 'Sagarmala Programme '.

• It will act as a technology arm of the Ministry of Shipping for providing engineering and technological inputs and support for Ports, Inland Waterways Authority of India and other institutions.

• It will carry on applied research in the areas of 2D and 3D Modelling of ocean, coastal and estuarine flows, sediment transport, navigation, siltation, port and coastal engineering-structures, autonomous platforms and vehicles and hydrodynamics of ocean renewable energy.

• It will provide indigenous software and technology and will address port and maritime issues with models and simulations.

• It will not only help generate new technology and innovations but also work towards their successful commercialization.

• It will provide learning opportunities for the people working in Ministry of Shipping.

Funds allocation for NTCPWC

• NTCPWC will be set up at a cost of Rs 70.53 crore. This cost will be shared by Ministry of Shipping, Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) and the Major Ports.

• Ministry of Shipping’s grant is towards capital expenditure for creating facilities like Field Research Facility (FRF), Sedimentation and Erosion Management Test Basin and Ship/Tow Simulator.

• The centre will be self sustainable in three years through industry consultancy projects for port and maritime sector. Date: 27th February 2018 Publication: Daily Excelsior Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor:Prof Bhaskar Ramamurthi Headline: Gadkari lay foundation stone for establishing Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways, Coasts at IIT-M URL: http://www.dailyexcelsior.com/gadkari-lay-foundation-stone-establishing-technology-centre- ports-waterways-coasts-iit-m/

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Shipping and Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Nitin Gadkari on Monday laid the foundation stone for setting up a National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways and Coasts (NTCPWC) at IIT-Madras. The NTCPWC, supported by the Sagarmala project, would work to modernize India’s ports and fast track waterways and it would be a strategic and innovation -oriented initiative tasked with bringing in cutting-edge technology to India’s ports, waterways and maritime Sector. The NTCPWC would work as the technology arm of Ministry of Shipping providing the needful technological support to ports, Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) and other institutions. It would focus on technological innovations and evolution of new ideas and breakthroughs for the port, waterways and maritime sector and provide effective solutions to an extensive range of problems being faced in the industry through scientific support and carry out education, applied research and technology transfer.

The inception of NTCPWC was an answer to a key need and signifies a major leap in indigenous and cutting-edge technology support in the port and maritime sector. IIT-Madras signed a MoA with the Shipping Ministry for setting up the NTCPWC in the presence of Mr Gadkari and Union Minister of State for Transport and Shipping Pon Radhakrishnan at an event held at IIT-M.

Being built with a capex of Rs 44.79 crore and Opex of Rs 25.74 crore, the NTCPWC would create capital equipment, capable manpower and build competencies to work on ten major projects for the first three years.

Its thrust areas would be technology development, modelling and software Products, bridge simulator and testing facilities.

Speaking on the occasion, IIT-M Director Prof Bhaskar Ramamurthi said the IIT-Madras, besides being at the forefront of research and technology development, also took pride that all its departments were involved in transformational research and activities. ”This new Centre under the aegis of the Department of Ocean Engineering is one such example. It will be set-up at the satellite campus of IIT-M at Thaiyur”, he added. The NTCPWC was poised to have a wide-ranging impact on India’s maritime sector. It would be a one stop point for major and non-major ports, other Indian and global institution for applied research, indigenous software, technology and patent development from projects were being funded and reduction in safety related incidents through applied research would be done by NTCPWC. Apart from improvement in the global ranking of IIT-M in port and maritime sector, the NTCPWC would have a state-of-the-art large-scale laboratory testing facility for the maritime sector. The Nodal Officers for NTCPWC would be Prof V Sundar and Prof K Murali from the Ocean Engineering Department of IIT-Madras. (UNI) Date: 27th February 2018 Publication: The Arunachal Times Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof. K Murali Headline: Government plans to make methanol as fuel for maritime transport, says Nitin Gadkari URL: https://arunachaltimes.in/index.php/2018/02/27/government-plans-to-make-methanol-as- fuel-for-maritime-transport-says-nitin-gadkari/

Government plans to make methanol as fuel for maritime transport, says Nitin Gadkari

Chennai, Feb 26 (PTI): The Centre today said it planned to make methanol the fuel for all maritime transport, on account of lesser costs and pollution, compared to diesel. The fuel, which costs Rs 22 per litre,can be manufactured in India, but new technology was needed for the initiative, Union minister Nitin Gadkari said. He pointed to the example of China, where methanol cost just Rs 17 per litre. “In China it is Rs 17 per litre. Rs 22 per litre of methanol (in India) is equal to one litre of diesel, which is Rs 60 today. Compared to diesel there is very less pollution (from methanol) also”, the union minister for Road Transport, Highways and Shipping said. He was speaking after unveiling a plaque as part of the foundation laying stone ceremony for the National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways and Coasts in joint collaboration with IIT Madras. “We are making a four multi-modal hub — Varanasi, Haldia, Sagarganj, Sahibganj (across river Ganga) And at 60 river ports, we plan to use methanol as fuel”, Gadkari said. Gadkari said the government has decided to convert 111 rivers into waterways with a length of 20,000 kilometres. “For that we need technical assistance. That is one of the reasons today for the formation of National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways and Coasts is very very important. It can give us good technology of international standards and it can save costs”, he said. The Centre, to come up at nearby Thaiyur, would be an institute for technological innovations and evolution of new ideas and breakthroughs for the port and maritime sector. Of the total Rs 70 crore investment, Rs 30 crore would be contributed by Ministry of Shipping, Rs 15.87 crore by the Indian Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) and Rs 19.40 crore by big ports operating in the country, IIT Madras, Department of Ocean Engineering, Prof. K Murali said “The construction activity is set to begin by June. We expect it to become fully operational by end of 2019. It is coming up on a four acre land at Thaiyyur”, he said. A website www.ntcpwc.iitm.ac.in with details of the Technology Centre and the projects planned was also unveiled on the occasion.

Date: 27th February 2018 Publication: Deccan Chronicle Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: Profits from major ports to touch Rs 7,000 crore: Nitin Gadkari URL: https://www.deccanchronicle.com/business/economy/260218/profits-from-major-ports-to- touch-rs-7000-crore-nitin-gadkari.html

Profits from major ports to touch Rs 7,000 crore: Nitin Gadkari

Ministry expects Rs 15 lakh crore investments under ambitious 'Sagarmala' infrastructure development programme.

Minister of Road Transport and Highways and Shipping Nitin Gadkari.

Chennai: Profits from 12 major ports in the country was expected to touch Rs 7,000 crore this year, up from Rs 3,000 crore in 2014, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways and Shipping Nitin Gadkari said here on Monday.

He noted that the role of all ports was very important as it creates a lot of jobs and boosts the economy.

He made the comments after unveiling a plaque commemerating the foundation stone laying ceremony of National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways and Coasts in collaboration with IIT Madras.

Gadkari said the ministry expects Rs 15 lakh crore investments under the ambitious 'Sagarmala' infrastructure development programme.

Under this progarmme, the ministry planned to develop Special Economic Zones, coastal development zones, industrial, petroleum and automobile clusters.

"In Mumbai, we plan on having an SEZ where we expect investments of Rs 40,000 crore. It will create about 1.25 lakh jobs", he said. Date: 27th February 2018 Publication: The Statesman Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Bhakar Ramamurthi Headline: Working on new marine technologies to cut costs: Gadkari URL: https://www.thestatesman.com/business/working-new-marine-technologies-cut-costs- gadkari-1502592314.html

Working on new marine technologies to cut costs: Gadkari

The Central government is working on different new technologies, including fuel, for maritime transport to cut costs, said Union Shipping and Water Resources Minister Nitin Gadkari here on Monday. “We are working with lot of new technologies nowadays. We are planning to use methanol as a fuel for all our maritime transport, which is highly cost-effective and less polluting in comparison to diesel,” he said after laying the foundation stone for the National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways and Coasts (NTCPWC), at Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IITM). The NTCPWC will work towards modernising India’s ports and fast track waterways, said Gadkari. The Centre will be a strategic and innovation-oriented initiative tasked with bringing cutting edge technology to India’s ports, waterways and maritime sector, he said, adding that the Central government is extending a financial support of around Rs 70 crore initially and later the centre will become self-sustaining. However the event had its share of controversy over charges that the Central government trying to impose Sanskrit after the students sang the invocation song in the classical language without playing the “Tamizh Thai Vazhthu (Invocation for Mother Tamil)”. In a statement issued here, PMK founder S. Ramadoss condemened the act of not singing “Tamizh Thai Vazthu” while singing an invocation in Sanskrit. However IITM Director Bhakar Ramamurthi clarified that it was the students who came forward on their own to sing the invocation song in Sanskrit. He said IITM does not have the practice of playing a recorded song and added that there is nothing wrong in singing “Tamizh Thai Vazhthu” and it could be sung in the future.

Date: 27th February 2018 Publication: Skill Outlook Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Bhakar Ramamurthi Headline: Union Shipping Minister Mr Nitin Gadkari launches Technology Centre at IIT Madras to modernize India’s ports and fast track waterways URL: http://skilloutlook.com/startup-news/union-shipping-minister-mr-nitin-gadkari-launches- technology-centre-iit-madras-modernize-indias-ports-fast-track-waterways

Union Shipping Minister Mr Nitin Gadkari launches Technology Centre at IIT Madras to modernize India’s ports and fast track waterways

Chennai, 26 February 2018: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras is establishing a National Centre that will work to modernize India’s ports and fast track waterways. The National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways and Coasts (NTCPWC) will be a strategic and innovation-oriented initiative tasked with bringing cutting-edge Technology to India’s Ports, waterways and Maritime Sector.

Mr Nitin Jairam Gadkari, Honourable Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Shipping and Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, laid the Foundation Stone today, 26th February 2018 for NTCPWC, which is being supported by Sagarmala Project, Government of India. Director, IIT Madras, signed a MoA with the Shipping Ministry, Government of India. Union Minister of State for Transport and Shipping Pon. Radhakrishnan was also present on the occasion.

Date: 27th February 2018 Publication: India Blooms Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Bhakar Ramamurthi Headline: Nitin Gadkari Lays foundation for National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways and Coasts at IIT Chennai URL: https://indiablooms.com/news-details/N/38156/nitin-gadkari-lays-foundation-for-national- technology-centre-for-ports-waterways-and-coasts-at-iit-chenna.html

The Ministry of Shipping and IIT Chennai also signed an MoU for this at the event.

It will carry on applied research in the areas of 2D and 3D Modelling of ocean, coastal and estuarine flows, sediment transport and morphodynamics, navigation and manoeuvring, dredging and siltation, port and coastal engineering-structures and breakwaters, autonomous platforms and vehicles, experimental and CFD modeling of flow and hull interaction, hydrodynamics of multiple hulls and ocean renewable energy.

The centre will provide indigenous software and technology, make technical guidelines and standards and address port and maritime issues with models and simulations. The centre will not only help generate new technology and innovations but also work towards their successful commercialization. It will provide learning opportunities for the people working in Ministry of Shipping.

The centre will be self sustainable in three years through industry consultancy projects for Indian and global port and maritime sector.

The setting up of NTCPWC would give a boost to the development of indigenous technology relevant to the port and maritime sector in India. This would also be a major shot in the arm for the Government’s ‘Make in India” programme, and provide a push to its Sagar Mala programme Envisioned as a world class state-of-the - art centre, NTCPWC will be a hub for latest technology tools and reduce our dependence on foreign institutions. It will also reduce the cost of research drastically and result in cost and time savings for work in the port and maritime sector. Date: 27th February 2018 Publication: Business Standard Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Bhakar Ramamurthi Headline: Profits from major ports to touch Rs 70 billion this year: Nitin Gadkari URL: http://www.business-standard.com/article/economy-policy/profits-from-major-ports-to-touch- rs-70-billion-this-year-nitin-gadkari-118022600641_1.html

Profits from 12 major ports in the country was expected to touch Rs 70 billion this year, up from Rs 30 billion in 2014, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways and Shipping Nitin Gadkari said here today."The first year, when I took charge as Minister (in 2014) profits from these ports was Rs 30 billion. Next year, it was Rs 40 billion. Third year, it was Rs 50 billion.

This year, we are expecting profits upto Rs 70 billion".He noted that the role of all ports was very important as it creates a lot of jobs and boosts the economy.He made the comments after unveiling a plaque commemerating the foundation stone laying ceremony of National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways and Coasts in collaboration with IIT Madras. Gadkari said the ministry expects Rs 15 trillion investments under the ambitious 'Sagarmala' infrastructure development programme."Abour Rs four lakh crore investment we are expecting to be made in road connectivity, port-rail connectivity, modernisation and mechanisation of ports. Already, work worth Rs 2.80 trillion" has commenced, he said.Under this progarmme, the ministry planned to develop Special Economic Zones, coastal development zones, industrial, petroleum and automobile clusters."In Mumbai, we plan on having an SEZ where we expect investments of Rs 400 billion. It will create about 125,000 jobs", he said.

Date: 27th February 2018 Publication: Tamil Murasu Edition: Chennai Page No: 5 Journalist: NA Headline: The Department of Ocean Engineering, IIT Madras National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways and Coasts (NTCPWC) and Nitin Jairam Gadkari

Date: 27th February 2018 Publication: The New Indian Express Edition: Bangalore Page No: 6 Journalist: NA Professor: Headline: Shri Nitin Jairam Gadkari lays foundation stone for maritime centre in Chennai

Date: 27th February 2018 Publication: News Today Edition: Chennai Page No: 1 Journalist: NA Professor: Prof Bhaskar Ramamurthi Headline: Centre ties up with IIT-M for tech centre for ports URL: https://www.newstodaynet.com/index.php/2018/02/26/conservative-approach-to-solve- issues-is-a-problem/

Date: 27th February 2018 Publication: The Financial Express Edition: Delhi / Mumbai / Pune / Bangalore / Hyderabad / Chennai / Kolkata / Kochi / Ahmedabad Page No: 2 Journalist: NA Headline: Tech centre to modernise ports

Date: 27th February 2018 Publication: Haribhumi Edition: Delhi Page No: 11 Journalist: NA Headline: Ports to be modernised by Tech centre

Date: 27th February 2018 Publication: Haribhumi Edition: Delhi Page No: 12 Journalist: NA Headline: Methanol to be promoted as shipping fuel

Date: 27th February 2018 Publication: The Times of India Edition: Chennai Page No: 2 Journalist: NA Professor: Prof Bhaskar Ramamurthi Headline: INNOVATION CENTRE FOR PORTS SOON AT IIT-M SATELLITE CAMPUS URL: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/education/news/iit-madras-satellite-campus-to- soon-host-ports-innovation-centre/articleshow/63090895.cms

Date: 27th February 2018 Publication: Rashtriya Sahara Edition: Delhi Page No: 15 Journalist: NA Headline:Methanol to be promoted as shipping fuel

Date: 27th February 2018 Publication: Afternoon Despatch Courrier Edition: Mumbai Page No: 23 Journalist: NA Headline: Plan To Make methanol as Fuel

Date: 27th February 2018 Publication: Veer Arjun Edition: Delhi Page No: 11 Journalist: NA Headline: Methanol to be promoted as shipping fuel

Date: 27th February 2018 Publication: Virat Vaibhav Edition: Delhi Page No: 15 Journalist: NA Headline: Methanol to be promoted as shipping fuel

Date: 27th February 2018 Publication: Punya Nagari Edition: Mumbai Page No: 19 Journalist: NA Headline: ‘Profits from major ports to touch ?7k cr’

Date: 27th February 2018 Publication: Dabang Duniya Edition: Mumbai Page No: 12 Journalist: NA Headline: Methanol to be promoted as shipping fuel

Date: 27th February 2018 Publication: Hamara Mahanagar Edition: Mumbai Page No: 9 Journalist: NA Headline: Methanol to be promoted as shipping fuel

Date: 27th February 2018 Publication: Tarun Bharat Edition: Mumbai Page No: 2 Headline: ‘Profits from major ports to touch Rs. 7k cr’

Date: 27th February 2018 Publication: The Financial Express Edition: Pune/Bangalore/Chennai/Ahemadabad/Kochi/Delhi/Mumbai Page No: 3 Journalist: NA Headline: Profits from major ports to touch ?7k cr’

Date: 28th February 2018 Publication: The Indian Wire Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: Profits from ports to touch Rs 7,000 crores this year : Nitin Gadkari URL: https://www.theindianwire.com/politics/profits-ports-touch-rs-7000-crores-year-nitin-gadkari- 51031/

Union minister Nitin Gadkari said that the profit from 12 major ports will touch Rs 7,000 crores this year. The net profit stood at Rs 3,000 crore in 2014.

In furtherance, he said that in the first year profits from ports was Rs 3,000 crore. It then rose to Rs Rs 5,000 crore in the third year. This year, he said, we are expecting profits up to Rs 7,000 crore.

The ports play an important role in the creation of jobs and boosted the economy as well, said Gadkari. He was in Chennai to commemorate the foundation stone laying ceremony of National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways and Coasts in collaboration with IIT Madras.

Announcement of Infrastructure Development Programme

The ministry expects Rs 15 lakh crore investments under the ambitious ‘Sagarmala’ infrastructure development programme, he added.

On the same line, he further added, “About Rs4 trillion investments we are expecting to be made in road connectivity, port-rail connectivity, modernization and mechanization of ports. Already, work worth Rs2.80 trillion has commenced.”

The ministry has also planned to develop Special Economic Zones (SEZs), coastal development zones, industrial, petroleum and automobile clusters.

“In Mumbai, we plan on having an SEZ where we expect investments of Rs 40,000 crore. It will create about 1.25 lakh jobs”, he said.

Date: 28th February 2018 Publication: The Economic Times Edition: Pune Page No: 8 Journalist: Anandi Headline: Shipping Ministry Goes Desi for Sets Shop at IIT-M to Upgrade Tech

IIT Madras is a research-focused Institute

Date: 6th February 2018 Publication: Positive Columnist Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof. B S Murty Headline: IITs Receive Advanced Tech To Design New Materials URL: http://truthweek.com/2018/02/05/iits-receive-advanced-tech-design-new-materials/

IITs Receive Advanced Tech To Design New Materials

In what might assist India overtake others countries in the area of “materials characterization,” 6 IITs (Indian Institutes of Technology) and the ARCI (International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials), Hyderabad, have joined hands to put in position a high-tech atomic research in teamwork with DST’s (department of science and technology) “Nano” mission.

These 7 organizations, below the management of IIT Madras, conveyed to India its first LEAP (Local Electrode Atom Probe) tool with a price tag of Rs 32 Crore, turning it one of the main centers of research in developing materials with customized possessions. This is anticipated to have a huge effect all over industries from automobiles to steel and from transport to energy.

Internationally, there are 90 platforms for LEAP. The one set up in July 2017 at IIT Madras is the first of its type since it can be run from anyplace all over the globe. This is a high-operating microscope that offers an exact atom-by-atom vision of a substance, allowing a true 3D (three-dimensional) reconstruction at atomic scale and is anticipated to pass on a thrust to survey in nano techs, among other areas.

While organizations with financial support from government bodies are known to have installed national research services, this is the initial time when 7 leading organizations in the nation have added up to install such a platform. Delhi, Madras, Kanpur, Bombay, Ropar, and Kharagpur IITs and ARCI added up Rs 2 Crore each, the rest of the fund is arriving from the “nano-mission” of DST led by professor C N R Rao.

Head of the department for materials and metallurgical engineering at IIT Madras, Dr B S Murty, claimed to the media, “The data of atomic distribution in a substance at the nano scale is very important for those concerned about design and creating new substances.”

Date: 7th February 2018 Publication: The Economic Times Edition: Delhi/Mumbai/Bangalore/Hyderabad/Chennai Page no.: 8 Journalist: Anandi Chandrashekhar Professor: Prof. Mohanasankar Sivaprakasam Alumni: Dr Pradeep Gupta Headline: IIT-M plans to forge a pact with US biotech hub URL: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/small-biz/startups/newsbuzz/iit-m-plans-to-forge-a- pact-with-us-biotech-hub/articleshow/62814225.cms

Date: 7th February 2018 Publication: The Times of India- Chennai Times Edition: Chennai Page no.: 1 Journalist: Purnima Sah Alumni/students: Sushant Uttam Wadavkar, Shashank R, Abhishek Nair & Arunabh Srivastava Headline: Making Streetlights Smarter URL: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/making- streetlightssmarter/articleshow/62806065.cms

Date: 8th February 2018 Publication: The Economic Times Edition: Pune/Kochi Page no.: 7 Journalist: Anandi Chandrashekhar Alumni: Dr Pradeep Gupta Headline: IIT-M plans to forge a pact with US biotech hub URL: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/small-biz/startups/newsbuzz/iit-m-plans-to-forge-a- pact-with-us-biotech-hub/articleshow/62814225.cms

Date: 8th February 2018 Publication: BioSpectrum Edition: Online Journalist: NA Alumni: Dr Pradeep Gupta Headline: IIT-M plans collaboration with US Biotech hub URL: https://www.biospectrumindia.com/news/68/10341/iit-m-plans-collaboration-with-us- biotech-hub.html

IIT-M plans collaboration with US Biotech hub

South San Francisco city is known as a global biotech hub that houses companies like Genentech, Merck and Johnson & Johnson.

The city council of South San Francisco city represented by IIT-M alumnus Dr Pradeep Gupta has proposed a collaboration between the Healthcare Technology Innovation Centre (HTIC), a multidisciplinary research and development centre at IIT-M, and life sciences firms in South San Francisco involved in cutting edge research in disciplines ranging from oncology to neurodegenerative diseases.

South San Francisco city is known as a global biotech hub that houses companies like Genentech, Merck and Johnson & Johnson. The collaboration would be between three categories of companies and the university — startups, mid-sized companies looking to outsource R&D projects and bigger companies which require a fresh a pipeline of drugs and technology. Date: 14th February 2018 Publication: The Better India Edition: Online Journalist: Rayomand Engineer Alumni/student: Sushant Uttam Wadavkar Headline: IIT-Madras Students Invent ‘Intelligent’ Street-Lights to Reduce Power Wastage! URL: https://www.thebetterindia.com/130959/iit-madras-students-invent-intelligent-street-light- system/

IIT-Madras Students Invent ‘Intelligent’ Street-Lights to Reduce Power Wastage!

To address the problem of power wastage, a team of students at IIT-Madras has developed an intelligent lighting system, which ensures that street-lights are at their maximum brightness, only on detecting vehicular movement. When roads turn empty, the lights go dim by around 30%.

Chennai drains 331.32 megawatts of electricity, spending Rs 52.08 crores per year, on street lighting. Out of this, around 30-40% goes waste. The Greater Chennai Corporation maintains 2,77,902 street- lights, of which just 1,71,229 are energy-saving LED lights.

Students at IIT Madras want to implement an intelligent street-light system. Representative image only. Image Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons

This is the first-of-its-kind system in India, said Sushant Uttam Wadavkar, a second-year mechanical engineering student and one of the team members, to the New Indian Express. He claims it is possible to save over 40% of power, through this intelligent lighting system. It is cost-effective and easy to maintain. People don’t use street-lights for all 12 hours of the night, and the lights need not be at maximum brightness during these times.

The 4-member student team explains that the mechanism is relatively simple. The system, called i- lighting, is an integrated system with a control module, sensor module and an LED driver. The control module is the system’s brain. It has a microcontroller unit (MCU), which synchronises the various modules, and performs some basic calculations. The street-lights can exchange data between each other and with the cloud, thanks to the control module, which uses RF communication and cell networks to transfer data. The sensor module consisting of sensors like the Passive Infrared Sensor (PIR) and ultrasonic sensor, is responsible for detecting the presence of cars, bikes and pedestrians. The LED driver then controls the amount of power supplied to the LED panel, allowing the brightness to be varied.

The project was tested on the IIT-Madras campus, in various places, and the results were favourable. The lifespan of the system is 15 years.

The student team, mentored by two of their professors, wishes to approach the State government, under the vision of Smart City, for the next stages of project implementation. The students mentioned that the outdoor system doesn’t cost much, and the amount can be recovered in three years.

Date: 14th February 2018 Publication: Hindustan Times Edition: Delhi Page no.: 23 Journalist: NA Professor: Prof. M Manivannan Headline: Wearable health device

Date: 14th February 2018 Publication: India Saga Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof M. Manivannan Headline: IIT Madras Develops Algorithm for Health Monitoring Wearable Device URL: http://www.theindiasaga.com/social-sector/iit-madras-develops-algorithm-for-health- monitoring-wearable-device

IIT Madras Develops Algorithm for Health Monitoring Wearable Device

Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-M) has developed the algorithm for the country's first medical-grade, wearable device for deriving vitals in a non-invasive manner. The algorithm is being called “VinCense.”

Developed jointly with MedIoTek Health Systems which works on mobile health technology, VinCense can be used for unobtrusive monitoring. Vital signs including pulse-rate, oxygen saturation, respiratory rate, skin temperature, blood pressure and others are duly recorded through this device. The real-time data are stored in the patent-pending secured cloud from where healthcare providers can access vitals using an intuitive interface.

VinCense can be deployed for home healthcare delivery, insurance/analytics and corporate/ industrial occupational health screening. It also has applications for Non-Communicable Diseases Screening and Surveillance, general public health, and community health.

The device was developed by a team led by Prof M. Manivannan, Head of Touch Lab, Biomedical Engineering Group, Department of Applied Mechanics, IIT Madras. Speaking about VinCense, Prof M.Manivannan said that his team is developing algorithms that provide more accurate vitals from the wearable device.

With the focus on preventive health, India has potential to become a Global Healthcare Hub. Only with a fraction of NIH budget, India can double the efficiency in delivering healthcare services to its population, added Prof Manivannan

Health screening and monitoring towards preventive and curative care are becoming easier using technologies including from virtual reality, gaming, data-sciences and Internet of Medical Things (IoMT). Sophisticated algorithms combined with latest technologies for accurately deriving vital parameters at an affordable cost is the need of the hour.

MedIoTek has been working on this wearable platform for past four years and the Touch Laboratory at IIT Madras has been working on medical simulation technologies providing haptic feedback for past 13 years. This collaboration would further lead to algorithms for medical simulation applied to wireless health monitoring systems. The outcome of this collaboration could lead to early intervention reducing risks and complications and improving clinical outcomes, a statement issued by the IIT-Madras said.

Date: 14th February 2018 Publication: Times Now Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof. M Manivannan Headline: IIT-Madras develops algorithm for India's first health monitoring wearable device URL: http://www.timesnownews.com/health/article/iit-madras-develops-algorithm-for-indias-first- health-monitoring-wearable-device/198108

IIT-Madras develops algorithm for India's first health monitoring wearable device

In a significant development, a team of researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-Madras) has developed an algorithm for the country's first medical-grade, wearable device for deriving vitals in a non-invasive manner, say reports. The wearable device called ‘VinCense’ can be used for monitoring vital signs, such as pulse rate, oxygen saturation, respiratory rate and blood pressure.

According to news reports, 'VinCense' can be deployed for home healthcare delivery, insurance, analytics and corporate, industrial occupational health screening. It also has applications for non- communicable diseases screening and surveillance, general public health, and community health.

“There are many health monitoring wearable devices are currently available in the market. But, their accuracy is not very good. We have developed algorithms to provide the accurate reading,” Professor M Manivannan, Head of Touch Lab, Biomedical Engineering Group, Department of Applied Mechanics, IIT-Madras, was quoted as saying.

The institute said the real-time data recorded by the device are stored in the secured cloud from where healthcare providers can access vitals using an intuitive interface.

Speaking about VinCense, Prof M Manivannan said that his team is developing algorithms that provide more accurate vitals from the wearable device.

“With focus on preventive health, India has the potential to become a Global Healthcare Hub. Only with a fraction of National Institutes of Health budget, India can double the efficiency in delivering healthcare services to its population,” said Prof Manivannan.

The device has been developed jointly with MedIoTek Health Systems which works on mobile health technology. Date: 14th February 2018 Publication: Dinamani Edition: Chennai Page no.: 7 Journalist: NA Professor: Prof. M Manivannan Headline: Wearable device for monitoring health: IIT Madras assists in creating device

Date: 14th February 2018 Publication: Drug News Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof. M Manivannan Headline: IIT Madras Develops First Wearable Device To Monitor Health URL: https://www.drugnews.in/2018/02/13/iit-madras-develops-first-wearable-device-to-monitor- health/

IIT Madras Develops First Wearable Device To Monitor Health

Highlights

. IIT Madras has developed the algorithm for the first health monitoring device.

. The device, ‘VinCense’ can help measure vitals in a non-invasive manner.

. Pulse rate, oxygen saturation, respiratory rate and blood pressure can be assessed and the data stored can be accessed by doctors.

VinCense, is the wearable device that can help assess vital measurements. IIT Madras has developed the algorithm for the health monitoring device.

The device jointly developed by MedloTeK Health Systems and IIT Madras can be used for monitoring vital signs including pulse rate, oxygen saturation, respiratory rate and blood pressure. The data are stored in the secured cloud from where healthcare providers can access vitals using an intuitive interface.

‘VinCense is developed to give accurate results. The device can be worn like a wrist-watch by patients who require continuous monitoring as well as by normal healthy adults.’

“There are many health monitoring wearable devices are currently available in the market. But, their accuracy is not very good. We have developed algorithms to provide the accurate reading,” said Professor M.Manivannan, Head of Touch Lab, Biomedical Engineering Group, Department of Applied Mechanics, IIT Madras.

VinCense For Screening Vitals

VinCense can be used for health screening in corporate/ industrial set up and for Home Healthcare delivery. It also has applications for non-communicable diseases screening and surveillance, general public health, and community health.

“The device can also be used to monitor the wellness of the people. Not only the patients, the general public also can wear it like a wristwatch,” he said. “At present, the device could cost around Rs 20,000. If the number of devices increased the cost would come down as low as Rs 5,000 and can become affordable to all,” he added.

This collaboration with MedloTek further leads to algorithms for medical simulation applied to wireless health monitoring systems.

It could also lead to early intervention reducing risks and complications and improving clinical outcomes. Some of the applications are close monitoring of high dependency patients like post- operation, rehabilitation, tracking just discharged patients and tracking patients in the ambulance.

Date: 14th February 2018 Publication: Med India Edition: Online Journalist: Julia Samuel Professor: Prof. M Manivannan Headline: IIT Madras Develops First Wearable Device To Monitor Health URL: http://www.medindia.net/news/healthwatch/iit-madras-develops-first-wearable-device-to- monitor-health-176967-1.htm

IIT Madras Develops First Wearable Device To Monitor Health

 IIT Madras has developed the algorithm for the first health monitoring device.

 The device, 'VinCense' can help measure vitals in a non-invasive manner.

 Pulse rate, oxygen saturation, respiratory rate and blood pressure can be assessed and the data stored can be accessed by doctors. VinCense, is the wearable device that can help assess vital measurements. IIT Madras has developed the algorithm for the health monitoring device.

Date: 15th February 2018 Publication: Human Junction Edition: Online Journalist: Pooja Jadon Alumini/Student: Sushant Uttam Vadvkar Headline: IIT Madras Students Developed Intelligent Street Lights URL: http://www.humanjunction.com/science/intelligent-street-lights/

IIT मद्रासकेछात्रⴂनेबनाईइंटेलीजᴂटस्ट्रीटलाइट, जानᴂ啍याहैइसमᴂखास

Intelligent Street Lights : सड़कⴂपरजलनेवालीस्ट्रीटलाइटमᴂ 30 प्रतिशििकबिजलीकीखपिकोकमकरेगायेससस्ट्टम

Intelligent Street Lights :हमारेदेशमᴂनाजानेककिनी स्ट्रीटलाइटᴂ सनू सानसड़कⴂपरटटमटटमािीरहिीहℂजजनसेभारीमात्रामᴂबिजलीकी खपिहोिीहैजजसकासीधाअसरदेशकेखजानेपरभीपड़िाहै.

इसीसमस्ट्यासेतनपटनेकेसलएभारिीयप्रौ饍योगगकीसंस्ट्थानमद्रास (IIT-M)

मᴂपढ़नेवालेकु छछात्रⴂकीएकटीमने इंटेलीजᴂटलाइटटंगससस्ट्टम काववकासककयाहै.

इसप्रणालीकीमददसेसड़कⴂपरजलनेवालीस्ट्रीटलाइटिभीकामकरिीहैजिवाहनⴂकीआवाजाहीहोिीहै.इसकेइिरज िसड़कⴂपरलोगⴂकाआवागमनकमहोजािाहैिोइनलाइ絍सकीरोशनी 30 फीसदी िककमहोजािीहै.

यहअपनेआपमᴂपरू ीिरहसऑे टोमेटटकलाइटटगं ससस्ट्टमहैजजसहे ालहीमᴂनईसवु वधाओकं ीपेशकशके सलएपेटᴂटकराया गयाथा.

आपकोििादᴂककअकेलेचेन्नईनगरतनगमअपनीसड़कⴂपररोशनीकेसलए 331.32 मेगावाटबिजलीखचचकरिीहै.जजस परप्रतिवर्च 52.08

करोड़ 셁पएकीलागिसेखचचआिाहै.जिककखालीयाकमआवाजाहीवालीसड़कⴂपरअनमु ातनि 30 से 40 प्रतिशििक कानकु सानभीनगरतनगमकोहोिाहै.

इंटेलीजᴂटलाइटससस्ट्टमिनानेवालीटीमकेसदस्ट्य सशु ांिउ配िमवडवकर, जोदसू रेवर्कच े मकै े तनकलइंजीतनयररगं के छात्रहℂििािहे ℂककयहभारिमᴂववकससिकीजानेवालीपहलीप्रणालीहैजजसकी सहायिासेहमआसानीसे 40% बिजलीकीऊजाचखपिकोिचासकिेहℂ.

उन्हⴂनेसमझािहे ुएकहाककजाटहरसीिािहैककरािके परू े 12 घंटेलोगसड़कⴂकाउपयोगनहींकरिेहℂ, इससलएस्ट्रीट- लाइटकीज셂रिहरसमयनहींपड़िी.

यहीवजहहैककहमारे饍वाराककएगएइसअववष्कारकाउपयोगसड़कⴂपरआवाजाहीकेदौरानहीरोशनीकोप्रदानकरनाऔ रउपयोगमᴂनाआनेवालीखालीसड़कⴂपरऊजाचकीखपिऔरलागिकोिचानेकेसलएककयाजासकेगा. कैसेकरिाहैकाम

इस आई-लाइटटंग कोएकीकृ िप्रणालीके िहिडडजाइनककयागयाहैजजसमᴂतनयत्रं णमॉ蕍यलू , ससᴂ रमॉ蕍यलू औरएलईडीड्राइवरशासमलहℂ.इसेकं रोलकरनेके सलएएकमाइक्रोकं रोलरयतू नट (एमसीय)ू लगाहुआहै, जोववसभन्नमॉ蕍यलू के िीचडटे ाएक्सचᴂजकरनेकीअनमु तिदेिाहै.

वहींपदै लचलनेवालⴂकीउपजस्ट्थतिकापिालगानेके सलएससᴂ रमॉ蕍यलू मᴂपीआईआर (तनजष्क्रयइन्रारेडसᴂसर) औरअल्ट्रासोतनकसᴂसरलगाएगएहℂ.इसकेअलावा LED ड्राइवरकाइस्ट्िेमाल LED पैनलमᴂदीगईबिजलीकीमात्राकोतनयंबत्रिकरनेकेसलएककयाजािाहै.

आईआईटीबिजल्ट्डंगमᴂहोचुकाहैसफलपरीक्षण

टीमकेसदस्ट्यⴂनेकहाकक IIT-M

पररसरमेआईसीएसआरभवनके नजदीकिीनसड़कⴂपरइसससस्ट्टमकोसचं ासलिककयाजाचकु ाहै.इसकेअलावासभी छात्रⴂकेहॉस्ट्टल ,डीनऑकफसेसऔरवकचशॉपकीइंटरनललाइ絍सपरभीप्रयासककयागयाजजसकापररणामसंिोर्जनकरहाहै.

इंडडयनएक्सप्रेसपरछवपखिरके मिु ाबिकइसससस्ट्टमके िाहरीकक्रयान्वनमᴂकु ललागिलगभग 2,000 सेलेकर 2,200 िकपड़सकिीहै, हालांककइसेिीनसालमᴂबिजलीकीकमहोनेवालीखपिसेिचाकरवसलू कीजासकिीहै. जिककइसउ配पादका 15 वर्ⴂ िकउपयोगमᴂलायाजासकिाहै.

कफलहालइसेिनानेवालीटीमकाकहनाहैककउ配पादकेअगलेचरणकेसलएवेस्ट्माटचससटीकोलेकरववचारकररहेहℂऔरइस केसलएरा煍यसरकारसेसंपकचकरनेकीयोजनाभीिनारहेहℂ.

इसटीममᴂसशु ांिके अलावा असभर्ेकनायर और अ셁णभश्रीवास्ट्िव भीमौजूदह.ℂ इसकेअलावा परामशचदेनेवालेआईआ ईटीमद्रासकेदोप्रोफेसर एनअ셁णाचलम और लक्ष्मणारस륍माएन कीिरफसेभीटीमकापरू ासपोटचहाससलहै.

Date: 16th February 2018 Publication: The Times of India Edition: Chennai Page No: 3 Journalist: NA Professor: Prof R Nagarajan Headline: Smart city research: IIT-M to work with foreign institutions URL: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/education/news/smart-city-research-iit-m-to-work- with-foreign-institutions/articleshow/62940403.cms

Date: 16th February 2018 Publication: The Financial Express Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof R Nagarajan Headline: Commendable! How IIT Madras is turning PM Narendra Modi’s ‘Smart Cities’ dream into a reality URL: http://www.financialexpress.com/infrastructure/commendable-how-iit-madras-is-turning-pm- narendra-modis-smart-cities-dream-into-a-reality/1067653/

Commendable! How IIT Madras is turning PM Narendra Modi’s ‘Smart Cities’ dream into a reality

The prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras on Thursday coordinated an international project on PM Narendra Modi's ‘Smart Cities’ mission. IIT Madras has taken this initiative as part of the Heritage Network, an Indo-European network of twenty leading Technical Higher Education Institutions.

The prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras on Thursday coordinated an international project on PM Narendra Modi’s ‘Smart Cities’ mission

The prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras on Thursday coordinated an international project on PM Narendra Modi’s ‘Smart Cities’ mission with leading Indian and European Technical Higher Education Institutions. IIT Madras has taken this initiative as part of the Heritage Network, an Indo-European network of twenty leading Technical Higher Education Institutions. They collaborate on research and academic activities that address common priorities of national interest and wellbeing of society. The network aims to achieve these goals by identifying partner institution/s in the network and undertake joint research projects, academic and research exchanges, industry partnerships.

This project is also in tune with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dream of having smart cities in India. After the addition of nine more cities in the Modi’s list of smart cities in India, the tally now stands at 99. The nine cities that were newly added were Erode (Tamil Nadu), Bihar Sharif (Bihar), Silvassa (Dadra and Nagar Haveli), Itanagar (Arunachal Pradesh), Kavaratti (Lakshadweep), Diu (Daman and Diu), Moradabad, Bareilly and Saharanpur. Adding to the Centre’s Smart Cities project, as much as Rs 9,940 crore has been sanctioned to the states until now for the Smart Cities Mission. Maharashtra got the maximum sum with the amount rising up to Rs 1,378 crore, followed by Madhya Pradesh which got Rs 984 crore as per a government data.

In IIT Madras, a ‘Smartcity working group’ was formed during the 2nd General Assembly Meeting of Heritage Network on February 6 & 7, 2018. Representatives of European and Indian partner institutes participated in the meeting to formulate a workable action plan for the Heritage Network consortium. During this meeting, IIT Madras and IIT Kanpur were chosen as Indian Coordinators to coordinate the activities and action plans on Smart Cities with Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) and KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm being selected as the European coordinators.

Speaking about the project, Prof R. Nagarajan, Dean (International and Alumni Relations), IIT Madras, said, “IIT Madras greatly values partnerships with leading academic institutions and industry around the world. Networks such as this provide us with an opportunity to collaborate simultaneously with several global institutions on topics of current relevance to society.” Prof Fouad Bennis, President of Heritage Network and Director for International Relations, Ecole Centrale de Nantes, France, Mr. Raj Cherubal, CEO of the Chennai Smart City Mission, and Dr. Ashwin Mahalingam, Associate Professor, Building Technology and Construction Management Division, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Madras, delivered addresses on Day One of the 2nd General Assembly meeting.

A brainstorming session was held with subject matter experts from the Heritage Network member institutions who are working on Smartcity-related subfields during the 2nd General Assembly meeting. The Smartcity working group has decided to have a few intermediate follow-up meetings before the next annual GA meeting in 2019 and a dedicated workshop on Smartcity to evaluate the progress of the working group during the next annual GA meeting in 2019.

The meeting also kickstarted the Heritage Network Workshop Series. The idea is to conduct a thematic workshop along with the annual GA meetings each year, on topics/areas of mutual interest/importance to both Europe and India. Various aspects such as exchange programs, research cooperation, industryparticipation, funding channels, policy engagement and outreach activities were discussed to draft a roadmap for the Heritage Network.

Potential short-term, mid-term and long-term action plans were identified in terms of educational programs/ exchange possibilities, research collaboration, industrial involvement and joint-funding opportunities between Indian and European partner institutions. In addition to the existing partners, four more institutes, two each from India (IIT Dhanbad and IIT Roorkee) and Europe (UPM, Madrid and KTH, Sweden), became members of the Heritage Network through a formal voting procedure. Date: 16th February 2018 Publication: UNI Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof R Nagarajan Headline: IIT-Madras to coordinate international project on Smart Cities URL: http://www.uniindia.com/iit-madras-to-coordinate-international-project-on-smart- cities/states/news/1139360.html

IIT-Madras to coordinate international project on Smart Cities

Chennai, Feb 15 (UNI) Indian Institute of Technology-Madras was coordinating an International project on Smart Cities with leading Indian and European Technical Higher Education Institutions. An IIT-M release on Thursday said it has taken up this initiative as part of the Heritage Network, an Indo-European network of 20 leading technical higher education institutions. They collaborate on research and academic activities that address common priorities of national interest and well being of society, it said, adding, the network aims to achieve these goals by identifying partner institution/s in the network and undertaken joint research projects, academic and research exchanges and industry partnerships. A ‘Smart city working group’ was constituted during the second General Assembly Meeting of Heritage Network hosted by IIT-M last week in which representatives of European and Indian partner institutes participated to formulate a workable action plan for the Heritage Network consortium. During the meeting, IIT-Madras and IIT-Kanpur were chosen as Indian coordinators to coordinate the activities and action plans on Smart Cities with Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) and KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm being selected as the European coordinators. UNI GV CS 1710.99 Date: 16th February 2018 Publication: India Today Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: International Engineering Sourcing Show in Chennai from Mar 8 URL: https://www.indiatoday.in/pti-feed/story/international-engineering-sourcing-show-in-chennai- from-mar-8-1170029-2018-02-15

International Engineering Sourcing Show in Chennai from Mar 8

Chennai, Feb 15 (PTI) The seventh edition of the International Engineering Sourcing Show (IESS) will be held here from March 8-10, 2018, officials said. Czech republic will be the partner country for this years edition while Tamil Nadu will be host state, Executive Director, Engineering Export Promotion Council (EEPC), Bhaskar Sarkar told reporters here. Held under the aegis of EEPC, sponsored by Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry, IESS 2018 is expected to draw about 400 exhibitors. Last years edition, also held here, attracted about 300 exhibitors, he added. "This is not only an export promotion initiative but also facilitates exchange between Indian states," he said, adding West Bengal, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Telangana and Jharakhand will be particiapting in the event. Ambassador of Czech Republic, Milan Hovorka said the objective of the event was to promote partnerships of local businesses with foreign partners. Czech delegations will be part of the event, he said. Hovorka also pitched for his country as "one of the best investment destinations in Europe," and said it was also one of the fastest growing economies in that continent. The three-day IESS 2018 will see the participation of global and domestic majors like Siemens, Caterpillar, Bharat Earth Movers Ltd, Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd, Chennai Petrochemicals Corporation, BARC and IIT Madras under various categories including innovation and R&D. IESS 2018 edition was being held in the backdrop of a "handsome growth in the country?s exports, engineering exports in particular." Sarkar said in a release. "Highly employment-oriented engineering exports alone account for over 26 per cent Indias total exports basket," he said. IESS 2018 is expected to draw about 500 global buyers and 10,000 trade visitors. Three Czech universities would also be participating in the event. The event will be "showcasing to global leaders in technology and engineering, Indias high end R&D and manufacturing capabilities to become their dependable sourcing hub with a vast pool of talent and resources," the release said. Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Suresh Prabhu and Czech Minister for Trade, Tomas Huner, will inaugurate the event at the Chennai Trade Center here. PTI SA ROH

Date: 16th February 2018 Publication: India Education Diary Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof R Nagarajan Headline: IIT Madras to coordinate international project on Smart Cities URL: https://indiaeducationdiary.in/iit-madras-coordinate-international-project-smart-cities/

IIT Madras to coordinate international project on Smart Cities

Chennai: Indian Institute of Technology Madras is coordinating an international project on ‘Smart Cities’ with leading Indian and European Technical Higher Education Institutions.

The Institute has taken up this initiative as part of the Heritage Network, an Indo-European network of twenty leading Technical Higher Education Institutions. They collaborate on research and academic activities that address common priorities of national interest and wellbeing of society. The network aims to achieve these goals by identifying partner institution/s in the network and undertaken joint research projects, academic and research exchanges, industry partnerships

A ‘Smartcity working group’ was constituted during the 2nd General Assembly Meeting of Heritage Network hosted by IIT Madras on 6th and 7th February 2018. Representatives of European and Indian partner institutes participated in the meeting to formulate a workable action plan for the Heritage Network consortium.

During this meeting, IIT Madras and IIT Kanpur were chosen as Indian Coordinators to coordinate the activities and action plans on Smart Cities with Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) and KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm being selected as the European coordinators.

Prof Fouad Bennis, President of Heritage Network and Director for International Relations, Ecole Centrale de Nantes, France, Mr. Raj Cherubal, CEO of the Chennai Smart City Mission, and Dr. Ashwin Mahalingam, Associate Professor, Building Technology and Construction Management Division, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Madras, delivered addresses on Day One of the 2nd General Assembly meeting.

A brainstorming session was held with subject matter experts from the Heritage Network member institutions who are working on Smartcity-related subfields during the 2nd General Assembly meeting.

The Smartcity working group has decided to have a few intermediate follow-up meetings before the next annual GA meeting in 2019 and a dedicated workshop on Smartcity to evaluate the progress of the working group during the next annual GA meeting in 2019. The meeting also kickstarted the Heritage Network Workshop Series. The idea is to conduct a thematic workshop along with the annual GA meetings each year, on topics/areas of mutual interest/importance to both Europe and India. Various aspects such as exchange programs, research cooperation, industry participation, funding channels, policy engagement and outreach activities were discussed to draft a roadmap for the Heritage Network.

In addition to the existing partners, four more institutes, two each from India (IIT Dhanbad and IIT Roorkee) and Europe (UPM, Madrid and KTH, Sweden), became members of the Heritage Network through a formal voting procedure.

Date: 16th February 2018 Publication: News Boss Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof R Nagarajan Headline: IIT Madras to coordinate international project on smart cities URL: http://newsboss.in/ly/ciggxX/IIT-Madras-to-coordinate-international-project-on-smart-cities

IIT Madras to coordinate international project on smart cities

Chennai: Indian Institute of Technology Madras is coordinating an international project on 'Smart Cities' with leading Indian and European technical higher education institutions. The institute has taken up this initiative as part of the Heritage Network, an Indo-European network of 20 leading technical higher education institutions,

Date: 16th February 2018 Publication: DT Next Edition: Chennai Page No: 4 Journalist: NA Professor: Prof R Nagarajan Headline: IIT-Madras to coordinate on Smart City project URL: https://www.dtnext.in/News/City/2018/02/16025126/1062095/IITMadras-to-coordinate-on- Smart-City-project.vpf

Date: 16th February 2018 Publication: Eenadu Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof R Nagarajan Headline: IIT Madras to coordinate international project on smart cities URL: http://www.eenaduindia.com/states/south/tamil-nadu/2018/02/15171601/IIT-Madras-to- coordinate-international-project-on.vpf

IIT Madras to coordinate international project on smart cities

"They collaborate on research and academic activities that address common priorities of national interest and well being of society. The network aims to achieve these goals by identifying partner institutions in the network and undertaken joint research projects, academic and research exchanges, industry partnerships," a statement here said.

A ‘Smartcity working group’ was constituted during the second general assembly meeting of Heritage Network hosted by IIT Madras recently. Representatives of European and Indian partner institutes participated in the meeting to formulate a workable action plan for the Heritage Network consortium.

During this meeting, IIT Madras and IIT Kanpur were chosen as Indian coordinators to coordinate the activities and action plans on smart cities with Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) and KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm were selected as the European coordinators.

Prof R Nagarajan, dean (International and Alumni Relations), IIT Madras, said, "IIT Madras greatly values partnerships with leading academic institutions and industry around the world. Networks such as this provide us with an opportunity to collaborate simultaneously with several global institutions on topics of current relevance to society."

Date: 17th February 2018 Publication: The Economic Times Edition: Delhi/Mumbai/Kolkata/Pune Page no.: 9 Journalist: Devina Sengupta & Sreeradha D Basu Professor: Prof. Radhakrishna Ganti & R David Koilpillai Headline: Bright minds join hands for 5G test project URL: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/company/corporate-trends/bright-minds-join- hands-for-5g-test-project/articleshow/62955892.cms

Date: 17th February 2018 Publication: CXO Today Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof. R. Nagarajan Headline: IIT-M To Work With Global Institutions On Smart Cities URL: http://www.cxotoday.com/story/iit-m-to-work-with-global-institutions-on-smart-cities/

IIT-M To Work With Global Institutions On Smart Cities

Indian Institute of Technology Madras [IIT-M] has been appointed the Indian coordinator for the ‘Smart City’ working group of Heritage Network, an Indo-European network of 20 higher education leading technical Institutions. The network, which coordinates for international projects on Smart Cities, collaborates on research and academic activities.

A ‘Smartcity working group’ was constituted during the 2nd General Assembly Meeting of Heritage Network hosted by IIT Madras last week, where representatives of European and Indian partner institutes participated to formulate a workable action plan for the Heritage Network consortium.During the meeting, IIT Madras and IIT Kanpur were chosen as Indian Coordinators to coordinate the activities and action plans on Smart Cities with Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) and KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm being selected as the European coordinators.

Prof. R. Nagarajan, Dean (International and Alumni Relations), IIT Madras, said, “IIT Madras greatly values partnerships with leading academic institutions and industry around the world. Networks such as this provide us with an opportunity to collaborate simultaneously with several global institutions on topics of current relevance to society.”

A dedicated workshop on smart city to evaluate the progress of the working group during the next annual GA meeting in 2019 will be held as well. A brainstorming session was also held with experts from the Heritage Network member institutions who are working on Smartcity-related subfields during the 2nd General Assembly meeting. In addition to the existing partners, four more institutes, two each from India (IIT Dhanbad and IIT Roorkee) and Europe (UPM, Madrid and KTH, Sweden), became members of the Heritage Network through a formal voting procedure during the meeting.

IIT-M will coordinate between the various institutes on research projects and proposals that will contribute to a smart city in the future. IIT-M hopes to put forth these projects if they get to collaborate with governments to help implement projects in smart cities.

Date: 18th February 2018 Publication: The Hindu Edition: Online Journalist: R. Sujatha Professor: Prof. Manivannan Headline: Tracking health wirelessly URL: http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/health/tracking-health-wirelessly/article22785771.ece

Tracking health wirelessly

Doctors say it spells relief from invasive and inaccurate readings

For three months now, Chennai-based Rajan Eye Care Hospital has been using VinCense (a non- invasive mechanism that can monitor key health parameters) in its community screening programmes.

“I have been using it for over six months. We can check a patient’s blood pressure and, with the addition of a glucometer, record his blood sugar level too. We have used it in more than 500 to 600 patients so far,” says Dr. Mohan Rajan, Medical Director at the hospital.

Non-invasive

VinCense can be clipped to the wearer’s finger and connected to a wearable devvice, such as a wrist watch, using a wire. The pulse and respiratory rates, skin temperature and oxygen saturation are recorded. The readings are sent via Bluetooth to a mobile app, and stored on cloud-based servers. The equipment has been in use for the past year in select private hospitals in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Doctors who have used it say it spells relief from invasive and inaccurate readings that crop up when lab technicians monitor these parameters.

A year ago, the emergency medicine department at M.S. Ramaiah Hospital, Bengaluru came forward (through its hospital outreach programme called Heart Rescue India) to test the equipment. Later, the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT M) joined in and developed algorithms for the equipment that can be employed in broader public health programmes and screen for more vital parameters. Currently, third party devices are incorporated into the platform.

“The challenge was in developing an algorithm for testing glucose level. In another three or four months we will incorporate measurement of cardiac output and haemoglobin level,” says M. Manivannan, Head, Department of Applied Mechanics, IIT M, whose team wrote the algorithm.

MedIoTek Health Systems developed the hardware for VinCense. The firm’s Managing Director, Sharmila Devadoss, says the idea of making health care affordable came from watching her father, an orthopaedic surgeon in Madurai, Tamil Nadu. “We could see the gaps in health care which was a motivating factor,” she says.

“We used it in our outreach programme. Apart from other parameters, we would like to add height also. As per World Health Organisation criteria we classify patients as low, moderate and high risk. The measurements are transferred through Bluetooth so there is no tampering with data. We are also able to give a printout to those who are being screened,” says Dr. Aruna C. Ramesh, Pogramme Director, Heart Rescue India. Looking ahead

Prof. Manivannan says the collaboration would lead to “algorithms for medical simulation [being] applied to wireless health monitoring systems. The outcome of this collaboration could lead to early intervention, reducing risks and complications and improving clinical outcomes.”

Going ahead, the equipment will help monitor patients in post-operative care, who usually need more attention. It can also be used in a rehabilitation setting to step down care,(for patients in the intensive care unit) identify vulnerable patients, track newly-discharged ones and also patients in an ambulance.

Date: 18th February 2018 Publication: The Hindu Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof S. Mahalingam Headline: IIT-M in process of creating India-specific cancer genome database URL: http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/health/iit-m-in-process-of-creating-india-specific-cancer- genome-database/article22789183.ece

IIT-M in process of creating India-specific cancer genome database

IIT-Madras is in the process of creating an India-specific cancer genome database aimed at early detection and development of better treatment strategy for the disease.

The National Cancer Tissue Biobank (NCTB), a first of its kind community-based initiative in the country, is collecting cancer tissues from Indian patients “to generate a cancer genome database which was not available so far.”

Prof S. Mahalingam, the faculty-in-charge of NCTB, said different types of cancer tissues were being collected for this purpose.

“This [collection of samples] is critical for identifying the specific changes happening in our own population to develop the diagnostic kit for early detection [of cancer] and this will help us to design a better treatment strategy,” he told PTI.

Prof Mahalingam, from the Department of Biotechnology at IIT-M, said creation of such a genome database would also help in developing a specific drug for India’s population.

For instance, the available medication for cancer treatment was “based on the western [countries’] population” and developed for them though these were being used in India too, he said. While there was an 80-90% success rate of these medication in treating cancer in the western countries, it was less than 50% in India, Prof. Mahalingam said.

Tissue samples are collected from medical and education institutes the NCTB has tied up with and only the “unused” ones of a patient are brought to the bio bank for further research, Prof. Mahalingam said.

Further, any cancer researcher in the country can get tissue from this bio-bank “through proper channels,” Prof. Mahalingam said.

“They need to have an ethical clearance from their host institutions. We also have an ethics committee, monitoring committee. Any Indian researcher can approach us,” he said.

Date: 18th February 2018 Publication: India Today Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof S. Mahalingam Headline: IIT-M in process of creating India-specific cancer genome database URL: https://www.indiatoday.in/pti-feed/story/iit-m-in-process-of-creating-india-specific-cancer- genome-database-1172091-2018-02-18

IIT-M in process of creating India-specific cancer genome database

Chennai, Feb 18 (PTI) IIT-Madras is in the process of creating an India-specific cancer genome database aimed at early detection and development of better treatment strategy for the disease.

The National Cancer Tissue Biobank (NCTB), a first of its kind community-based initiative in the country, is collecting cancer tissues from Indian patients "to generate a cancer genome database which was not available so far."

Prof S Mahalingam, the faculty-in-charge of NCTB, said different types of cancer tissues were being collected for this purpose.

"This (collection of samples) is critical for identifying the specific changes happening in our own population to develop the diagnostic kit for early detection (of cancer) and this will help us to design a better treatment strategy," he told PTI.

Prof Mahalingam, from the Department of Biotechnology at IIT-M, said creation of such a genome database would also help in developing a specific drug for Indias population.

For instance, the available medication for cancer treatment was "based on the western (countries) population" and developed for them though these were being used in India too, he said.

Date: 18th February 2018 Publication: Global News Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof S. Mahalingam Headline: IIT-M in process of creating India-specific cancer genome database URL: http://globalnewsworld.ddns.net/item/62717_iit-m-in-process-of-creating-india-specific- cancer-genome-database

IIT-M in process of creating India-specific cancer genome database

IIT-Madras is in the process of creating an India-specific cancer genome database aimed at early detection and development of better treatment strategy for the disease.

Prof S. Mahalingam, the faculty-in-charge of NCTB, said different types of cancer tissues were being collected for this purpose.

Prof Mahalingam, from the Department of Biotechnology at IIT-M, said creation of such a genome database would also help in developing a specific drug for India’s population.

For instance, the available medication for cancer treatment was “based on the western [countries’] population” and developed for them though these were being used in India too, he said.

While there was an 80-90% success rate of these medication in treating cancer in the western countries, it was less than 50% in India, Prof. Mahalingam said.

“They need to have an ethical clearance from their host institutions. We also have an ethics committee, monitoring committee. Any Indian researcher can approach us,” he said.

Date: 18th February 2018 Publication: Welcome DBT Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof S. Mahalingam Headline: First Indian germline database to catalog the variations in the genome of Indian population URL: http://www.wellcomedbt.org/news/103

First Indian germline database to catalog the variations in the genome of Indian population

TMC-SNPdb: first Indian germline database to catalog the variations in the genome of Indian population

Cancer is a genetic disease caused by a sequential accumulation of mutations in the genome. Unlike normal cell genomes, a typical cancer cell genome harbors two kinds of variations: in addition to post birth acquired somatic mutations that are associated with the disease, it also contains germline variations, called as single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), with frequency varying by ethnicity. Apropos, a crucial aspect of any tumor genome sequence analysis involves subtraction of such common SNPs that are also present in a normal cell of the same individual, followed by known SNPs present in the population, as reported in public databases such as dbSNP and 1000 Genomes Project. The current build of dbSNP— the most comprehensive public SNP database—however, inadequately represents several non-European Caucasian populations, posing a limitation in cancer genomic analyses of data from these populations.

To fill this gap of Indian specific normal SNPdb, we present the first concerted effort to comprehensively identify and catalogue novel SNPs present exclusively in Indian population to generate a normal baseline reference database of SNPs present exclusively in Indian population, along with some caveats as detailed in the research manuscript. The TMC-SNPdb – Tata Memorial Center SNPdb-- is the first open source freely available, flexible and upgradable SNP database from whole exome data of 62 normal samples derived from cancer patients (hosted at ANNOVAR) from India origin. It consists of 114, 309 unique germline variants prevalent exclusively among Indian population at variant frequency. The TMC-SNPdb comes along with a companion subtraction tool that can be executed with command line option or using an easy-to-use graphical user interface (GUI) to deplete Indian population-specific SNPs, in addition to the dbSNP and 1000 Genomes Project.

Beyond cancer genome analyses, we anticipate universal utility of the TMC-SNPdb in several Mendelian germline diseases. Any researcher working on genome sequencing of any disease would wish for a normal germline SNP db from Indian population. More importantly, it comes along with a flexibility to allow researchers to add their own germline sequences to the TMC-SNPdb to filter Indian specific SNPs. This database has been incorporated in the dbSNP (the official database of all known SNPs in the world) and will be officially released with the next build of dbSNP release (build 149), scheduled for later this year.

Date: 18th February 2018 Publication: The Hindu Edition: Online Journalist: Aswathi Pacha Professor: Prof. Mukesh Doble Headline: Silver silk patch aids healing of wounds, prevents infection URL: http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/health/silver-silk-patch-aids-healing-of-wounds-prevents- infection/article22784418.ece

Silver silk patch aids healing of wounds, prevents infection

It helped heal scratch wounds in 24 hours

By embedding silver oxide nanoparticles on silk fibre, scientists have produced a new material that can be used to make patches to help in healing of wounds and in preventing infection. The patch was able to heal scratch wounds completely in 24 hours and also kill pathogens like S. aureus and M.tuberculosis.

The researchers first tested the mechanical properties of the silk patch. “An ideal wound-dressing material should have good thermal insulation and also allow gaseous and fluid exchange in the wound area. The new material was able to maintain the moisture and had ideal water-holding capacity,” says Dr Punuri Jayasekhar Babu, post-doctoral researcher, IIT Madras, and the first author of the paper published in Colloid and Interface Science.

“We also performed experiments to find the swelling and degradation properties of the silk patch, which are important for wound healing materials. The patch was hydrophilic in nature and its morphology did not change [that is to say] it did not degrade even after 14 days of immersion in phosphate buffer solution (PBS),” he adds. Phosphate buffer solution has a pH of 7.4 which is close to that of human cells.

Anti-bacterial activity of the patch against non-pathogenic E.coli and two pathogens S. aureus and M.tuberculosis was tested. The silk patch was found to be more effective than the commercially used antibiotic, ciprofloxacin.

The exact mechanism behind antimicrobial activity is unknown. Some studies have reported that silver creates ‘pores’ on bacterial cell walls, thereby causing their death.

Wound healing

In vitro wound healing (scratch assay/cell migration) study revealed faster migration of 3T3 Swiss mouse fibroblast (cells responsible for wound healing) cells to the wound area treated with the silk patch. The wound was completely covered in 24 h.

Cytotoxicity studies also showed that the silk patch was not harmful to the cell lines.

Cells treated with silver alone and silk alone did not show such good wound-healing properties. “We will test the synergistic wound-healing and antibacterial activities of this silk patch on animal models and then this can be commercialised for clinical use” says Prof. Mukesh Doble, Professor at the Department of Biotechnology, IIT Madras and corresponding author of the paper. Date: 19th February 2018 Publication: Healthworld Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof S. Mahalingam Headline: IIT-M in process of creating India-specific cancer genome database URL: https://health.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/industry/iit-m-in-process-of-creating- india-specific-cancer-genome-database/62968411

IIT-M in process of creating India-specific cancer genome database

Chennai, Feb 18 : IIT-Madras is in the process of creating an India-specific cancer genome database aimed at early detection and development of better treatment strategy for the disease.

Prof S Mahalingam, the faculty-in-charge of NCTB, said different types of cancer tissues were being collected for this purpose.

Prof Mahalingam, from the Department of Biotechnology at IIT-M, said creation of such a genome database would also help in developing a specific drug for India's population.

For instance, the available medication for cancer treatment was "based on the western (countries') population" and developed for them though these were being used in India too, he said.While there was an 80-90 per cent success rate of these medication in treating cancer in the western countries, it was less than 50 per cent in India, Prof Mahalingam said.

Creation of such a pool with samples of different types of cancer and their study would give an indication on what is going on in the community regarding the disease. There could be differences in the way two persons affected with the same type of cancer respond to the treatment, he said.Tissue samples are collected from medical and education institutes the NCTB has tied up with and only the "unused" ones of a patient are brought to the bio bank for further research, Prof Mahalingam said.

The samples, ranging from breast cancer and oral cancer to gastro-intestinal cancer, are taken after prior consent from the patients and their families and strict confidentiality is maintained, he said.Till now, the NCTB has samples collected from over 1,800 patients and it has tied up with nine medical and educational institutes in Chennai and Puducherry for this purpose, he said, adding efforts are on to expand this association.

Further, any cancer researcher in the country can get tissue from this bio-bank "through proper channels," Prof Mahalingam said.

"They need to have an ethical clearance from their host institutions. We also have an ethics committee, monitoring committee. Any Indian researcher can approach us," he said. SA APR SS NSD Date: 19th February 2018 Publication: Business Standard Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof S. Mahalingam Headline: IIT-M in process of creating India-specific cancer genome database URL: http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/iit-m-in-process-of-creating-india- specific-cancer-genome-database-118021800117_1.html

IIT-M in process of creating India-specific cancer genome database

IIT-Madras is in the process of creating an India-specific cancer genome database aimed at early detection and development of better treatment strategy for the disease.The National Cancer Tissue Biobank (NCTB), a first of its kind community-based initiative in the country, is collecting cancer tissues from Indian patients "to generate a cancer genome database which was not available so far."Prof S Mahalingam, the faculty-in-charge of NCTB, said different types of cancer tissues were being collected for this purpose."This (collection of samples) is critical for identifying the specific changes happening in our own population to develop the diagnostic kit for early detection (of cancer) and this will help us to design a better treatment strategy," he told PTI.Prof Mahalingam, from the Department of Biotechnology at IIT-M, said creation of such a genome database would also help in developing a specific drug for India's population.For instance, the available medication for cancer treatment was "based on the western (countries') population" and developed for them though these were being used in India too, he said.While there was an 80-90 per cent success rate of these medication in treating cancer in the western countries, it was less than 50 per cent in India, Prof Mahalingam said.Creation of such a pool with samples of different types of cancer and their study would give an indication on what is going on in the community regarding the disease. There could be differences in the way two persons affected with the same type of cancer respond to the treatment, he said.Tissue samples are collected from medical and education institutes the NCTB has tied up with and only the "unused" ones of a patient are brought to the bio bank for further research, Prof Mahalingam said.The samples, ranging from breast cancer and oral cancer to gastro- intestinal cancer, are taken after prior consent from the patients and their families and strict confidentiality is maintained, he said.Till now, the NCTB has samples collected from over 1,800 patients and it has tied up with nine medical and educational institutes in Chennai and Puducherry for this purpose, he said, adding efforts are on to expand this association.Further, any cancer researcher in the country can get tissue from this bio-bank "through proper channels," Prof Mahalingam said."They need to have an ethical clearance from their host institutions.

We also have an ethics committee, monitoring committee. Any Indian researcher can approach us," he said. Date: 19th February 2018 Publication: BioSpectrum Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof S. Mahalingam Headline: IIT-M to create cancer genome database for India URL: https://www.biospectrumindia.com/news/68/10432/iit-m-to-create-cancer-genome-database- for-india.html

IIT-M to create cancer genome database for India

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras is working towards creating an India- specific cancer genome database aimed at early detection and development of better treatment strategy for the disease.

The National Cancer Tissue Biobank (NCTB), a first of its kind community-based initiative in the country, is collecting cancer tissues from Indian patients.

According to the scientists at IIT-M, creation of such a genome database would also help in developing a specific drug for India’s population.

Till now, the NCTB has samples collected from over 1,800 patients and it has tied up with nine medical and educational institutes in Chennai and Puducherry for this purpose.

Date: 19th February 2018 Publication: Rediff Realtime News Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof S. Mahalingam Headline: IIT-M in process of creating India-specific cancer genome database URL: http://realtime.rediff.com/news/business/IITM-in-process-of-creating-Indiaspecific-cancer- genome-database/8d33470a0364216c?src=interim_alsoreadimage

IIT-M in process of creating India-specific cancer genome database

We also have an ethics committee, monitoring committee. Any Indian researcher can approach us," he said. Date: 19th February 2018 Publication: The Hindu Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof S. Mahalingam Headline: IIT-M in process of creating India-specific cancer genome database URL: http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/health/iit-m-in-process-of-creating-india-specific-cancer- genome-database/article22789183.ece

IIT-M in process of creating India-specific cancer genome database

IIT-Madras is in the process of creating an India-specific cancer genome database aimed at early detection and development of better treatment strategy for the disease.

Prof S. Mahalingam, the faculty-in-charge of NCTB, said different types of cancer tissues were being collected for this purpose.

Prof Mahalingam, from the Department of Biotechnology at IIT-M, said creation of such a genome database would also help in developing a specific drug for India’s population.

For instance, the available medication for cancer treatment was “based on the western [countries’] population” and developed for them though these were being used in India too, he said.While there was an 80-90% success rate of these medication in treating cancer in the western countries, it was less than 50% in India, Prof. Mahalingam said.

Creation of such a pool with samples of different types of cancer and their study would give an indication on what is going on in the community regarding the disease. There could be differences in the way two persons affected with the same type of cancer respond to the treatment, he said.Tissue samples are collected from medical and education institutes the NCTB has tied up with and only the “unused” ones of a patient are brought to the bio bank for further research, Prof. Mahalingam said.

Till now, the NCTB has samples collected from over 1,800 patients and it has tied up with nine medical and educational institutes in Chennai and Puducherry for this purpose, he said, adding efforts are on to expand this association.Further, any cancer researcher in the country can get tissue from this bio-bank “through proper channels,” Prof. Mahalingam said.“They need to have an ethical clearance from their host institutions. We also have an ethics committee, monitoring committee. Any Indian researcher can approach us,” he said. Date: 19th February 2018 Publication: Outlook Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof S. Mahalingam Headline: IIT-M in process of creating India-specific cancer genome database URL: https://www.outlookindia.com/newsscroll/iitm-in-process-of-creating-indiaspecific-cancer- genome-database/1255544

IIT-M in process of creating India-specific cancer genome database

Chennai, Feb 18 IIT-Madras is in the process of creating an India-specific cancer genome database aimed at early detection and development of better treatment strategy for the disease.

Prof S Mahalingam, the faculty-in-charge of NCTB, said different types of cancer tissues were being collected for this purpose.

Prof Mahalingam, from the Department of Biotechnology at IIT-M, said creation of such a genome database would also help in developing a specific drug for India's population.

For instance, the available medication for cancer treatment was "based on the western (countries') population" and developed for them though these were being used in India too, he said.

While there was an 80-90 per cent success rate of these medication in treating cancer in the western countries, it was less than 50 per cent in India, Prof Mahalingam said.

Tissue samples are collected from medical and education institutes the NCTB has tied up with and only the "unused" ones of a patient are brought to the bio bank for further research, Prof Mahalingam said.

"They need to have an ethical clearance from their host institutions. We also have an ethics committee, monitoring committee. Any Indian researcher can approach us," he said.

Date: 19th February 2018 Publication: Research Buzz Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof S. Mahalingam Headline: IIT-M in process of creating India-specific cancer genome database URL: https://rbfirehose.com/2018/02/18/the-hindu-iit-m-in-process-of-creating-india-specific- cancer-genome-database/

IIT-M in process of creating India-specific cancer genome database

“IIT-Madras is in the process of creating an India-specific cancer genome database aimed at early detection and development of better treatment strategy for the disease. The National Cancer Tissue Biobank (NCTB), a first of its kind community-based initiative in the country, is collecting cancer tissues from Indian patients ‘to generate a cancer genome database which was not available so far.'” IIT-M is Indian Institute of Technology Madras.

Date: 19th February 2018 Publication: India Today Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof S. Mahalingam Headline: IIT-M in process of creating India-specific cancer genome database URL: https://www.indiatoday.in/pti-feed/story/iit-m-in-process-of-creating-india-specific-cancer- genome-database-1172091-2018-02-18

IIT-M in process of creating India-specific cancer genome database

IIT-Madras is in the process of creating an India-specific cancer genome database aimed at early detection and development of better treatment strategy for the disease.

Prof S Mahalingam, the faculty-in-charge of NCTB, said different types of cancer tissues were being collected for this purpose.

Prof Mahalingam, from the Department of Biotechnology at IIT-M, said creation of such a genome database would also help in developing a specific drug for Indias population.

For instance, the available medication for cancer treatment was "based on the western (countries) population" and developed for them though these were being used in India too, he said.

Date: 19th February 2018 Publication: Amar Ujala Edition: Delhi Page No: 13 Journalist: NA Professor: Prof S. Mahalingam Headline: IIT-M in process of creating India-specific cancer genome database

Date: 19th February 2018 Publication: DNA Edition: Mumbai Page No: 11 Journalist: NA Professor: Prof S. Mahalingam Headline: IIT-M in process of creating India-specific cancer genome database

Date: 19th February 2018 Publication: The Hans India Edition: Hyderabad Page No: 14 Journalist: NA Professor: Prof S. Mahalingam Headline: IIT-M in process of creating cancer genome database URL: http://www.thehansindia.com/posts/index/Young-Hans/2018-02-19/IIT-M-in-process-of- creating-cancer-genome-database/360043

Date: 19th February 2018 Publication: The Times of India Edition: Chennai Page No: 4 Journalist: NA Professor: Prof S. Mahalingam Headline: IIT-M in process of creating India-specific cancer genome database

Date: 19th February 2018 Publication: News Today Edition: Chennai Page No: 7 Journalist: NA Professor: Prof S. Mahalingam Headline: IIT-M in process of creating India-specific cancer genome database

Date: 19th February 2018 Publication: Trinity Mirror Edition: Chennai Page No: 1 Journalist: NA Professor: Prof S. Mahalingam Headline: IIT-M in process of creating India-specific cancer genome database URL: http://www.trinitymirror.net/news/iit-madras-sees-breakthru-early-detection-cancer/

Date: 19th February 2018 Publication: Gadgets Now Edition: Online Journalist: Devina Sengupta & Sreeradha D Basu Professor: Prof. Radhakrishna Ganti & R David Koilpillai Headline: Bright minds join hands for 5G test project URL: https://www.gadgetsnow.com/tech-news/5-iits-over-200-researchers-are-working-on-a-5g- project-that-may-change-internet-in-india/articleshow/62958217.cms

More than 200 researchers, students and teachers from across five Indian Institutes of Technology have joined forces over a Rs 300-crore project to develop 5G technology and its use cases in India.

The department of telecommunications-backed project, being billed as the biggest collaborative effort between these institutes, will aim to develop a comprehensive test-bed for 5G that can be used by technology companies, telecom operators, academics and startups for R&D purposes and developing 5G products and solutions.

“This is the biggest project where IITs are working together and more than 200 people will work as a team,” said Abhay Karandikar, dean (faculty) at IIT Bombay. His 30-40-member-strong team will work on technologies such as software defined networking, network function virtualisation and core network.

Professors at the IITs said this will be the world’s largest test-bed for 5G, with the funds being used to procure equipment and hire top-notch researchers to usher in the next game-changer in the telecommunications industry.

The 5G technology, which will weave in artificial intelligence and big data analytics at high speeds, will have applications in defence, agriculture, healthcare and the automobile sector, among others, improving the lives of millions of people. It also promises to deliver data speeds at up to 10 times that of 4G.

Working alongside the participating IITs at Madras, Hyderabad, Bombay, Delhi and Kanpur will be the Indian Institute of Science-Bangalore, Centre of Excellence in Wireless Technology (ceWIT), and Society for Applied Microwave Electronics Engineering and Research (SAMEER), officials and professors said.

The project has the government’s full backing—Finance Minister Arun Jaitleyhad said in his Budget speech that the telecom department will support a 5G technology test-bed that will be anchored out of IIT Madras and whose roll could be expected in 2020, in line with global roll outs.

Last year, the government had earmarked Rs 500 crore for R&D to roll out 5G in India, the corpus from which the project will be funded.

“This is for the first time that such a large end-to-end test-bed has been approved by the government. It is a great opportunity for Indian wireless research and start-up community to utilise the 5G test-bed and build a wireless eco-system,” said IIT Madras professors Radhakrishna Ganti and R David Koilpillai. The institute will also help in the overall testing and integration of all sub-system modules and the demonstration of the complete functionality of the final test-bed.

“We will hire project staff, bring in research scholars and buy equipment, which may cost Rs 20-30 crore a piece. The overall project may be around Rs 300 crore,” said Brejesh Lall, head of Bharti School of Telecom Technology and Management at IIT Delhi. His team of 15-20 faculty members and students will work on security, energy harvesting, Internet of Things (IoT) and massive multiple input multiple output (MIMO) technology.

Massive MIMO increases capacity of a base station by five to seven times and reduces interference substantially, in turn boosting the transmission signal to the devices.

Student enrolment for the project has begun at the IITs. “One of the goals of the test-bed is skill development and the students, after graduation, will be trained to contribute to the Indian industry in the 5G domain," said a professor at IIT Madras. “Graduate and under-graduate students are very excited and many have signed up.”

They said a few telcos are already partners in the project and want to contribute modules based on their specific business needs.

Kiran Kuchi, professor of electrical engineering at IIT Hyderabad, said a team of about 90 members from the institute will work on massive MIMO, radio base band and cloud RAN. Date: 19th February 2018 Publication: Rajasthan Patrika Edition: Delhi Journalist: Devina Sengupta & Sreeradha D Basu Professor: Prof. Radhakrishna Ganti & R David Koilpillai Headline: India's biggest research

Date: 19th February 2018 Publication: BioSpectrum Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: Scientists at IIT design novel wound healing patch URL: https://www.biospectrumindia.com/news/58/10431/scientists-at-iit-design-novel-wound- healing-patch.html

Scientists at IIT design novel wound healing patch

A team of scientists at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras has developed a new material that can be used to make patches to help in healing of wounds and in preventing infection. The patch was able to heal scratch wounds completely in 24 hours and also kill pathogens like S. aureus and M.tuberculosis.

The team embedded silver oxide nanoparticles on silk fibre to design this new material.

The silk patch was found to be more effective than the commercially used antibiotic, ciprofloxacin.

The silk material was able to maintain the moisture and had ideal water-holding capacity.

The team intends to test the synergistic wound-healing and antibacterial activities of this silk patch on animal models and then go ahead for commercialising it for clinical use.

Date: 19th February 2018 Publication: The Hindu Edition: Mumbai/ Bangalore/Hyderabad/Chennai/Kolkata/Kochi Page No: 28 Journalist: NA Headline: Scientists at IIT design novel wound healing patch URL: http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/health/silver-silk-patch-aids-healing-of-wounds-prevents- infection/article22784418.ece

Date: 20th February 2018 Publication: Education Medical Dialouges Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof S. Mahalingam Headline: IIT-M in process of creating India-specific cancer genome database URL: https://education.medicaldialogues.in/iit-m-in-process-of-creating-india-specific-cancer- genome-database/

IIT-Madras is in the process of creating an India-specific cancer genome database aimed at early detection and development of better treatment strategy for the disease. The National Cancer Tissue Biobank (NCTB), a first of its kind community-based initiative in the country, is collecting cancer tissues from Indian patients “to generate a cancer genome database which was not available so far.” Prof S Mahalingam, the faculty-in-charge of NCTB, said different types of cancer tissues were being collected for this purpose. “This (collection of samples) is critical for identifying the specific changes happening in our own population to develop the diagnostic kit for early detection (of cancer) and this will help us to design a better treatment strategy,” he told PTI. Prof Mahalingam, from the Department of Biotechnology at IIT-M, said creation of such a genome database would also help in developing a specific drug for India’s population. For instance, the available medication for cancer treatment was “based on the western (countries’) population” and developed for them though these were being used in India too, he said. While there was an 80-90 per cent success rate of these medication in treating cancer in the western countries, it was less than 50 per cent in India, Prof Mahalingam said. Creation of such a pool with samples of different types of cancer and their study would give an indication on what is going on in the community regarding the disease. There could be differences in the way two persons affected with the same type of cancer respond to the treatment, he said. Tissue samples are collected from medical and education institutes the NCTB has tied up with and only the “unused” ones of a patient are brought to the bio bank for further research, Prof Mahalingam said. The samples, ranging from breast cancer and oral cancer to gastro-intestinal cancer, are taken after prior consent from the patients and their families and strict confidentiality is maintained, he said. Till now, the NCTB has samples collected from over 1,800 patients and it has tied up with nine medical and educational institutes in Chennai and Puducherry for this purpose, he said, adding efforts are on to expand this association. Further, any cancer researcher in the country can get tissue from this bio-bank “through proper channels,” Prof Mahalingam said. “They need to have an ethical clearance from their host institutions. We also have an ethics committee, monitoring committee. Any Indian researcher can approach us,” he said.

Date: 20th February 2018 Publication: Nagaland Post Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof S. Mahalingam Headline: IIT-M to create India-specific cancer database URL: http://www.nagalandpost.com/ChannelNews/National/NationalNews.aspx?news=TkVXUzEwM DEyODUwMw%3D%3D

IIT-M to create India-specific cancer database

Prof S Mahalingam, the faculty-in-charge of NCTB, said different types of cancer tissues were being collected for this purpose.

“This (collection of samples) is critical for identifying the specific changes happening in our own population to develop the diagnostic kit for early detection (of cancer) and this will help us to design a better treatment strategy,” he told PTI.

Prof Mahalingam, from the Department of Biotechnology at IIT-M, said creation of such a genome database would also help in developing a specific drug for India’s population.

For instance, the available medication for cancer treatment was “based on the western (countries’) population” and developed for them though these were being used in India too, he said.

While there was an 80-90 per cent success rate of these medication in treating cancer in the western countries, it was less than 50 per cent in India, Prof Mahalingam said.

“They need to have an ethical clearance from their host institutions. We also have an ethics committee, monitoring committee. Any Indian researcher can approach us,” he said.

Date: 20th February 2018 Publication: Cision PR Newswire Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof. Nandan Sudarsanam, Prof. Balaraman Ravindran, Headline: GAVS Technologies and IIT Madras to Pursue Joint Research and Innovation in Artificial Intelligence and Analytics URL: http://www.prnewswire.co.in/news-releases/gavs-technologies-and-iit-madras-to-pursue- joint-research-and-innovation-in-artificial-intelligence-and-674485523.html

GAVS Technologies and IIT Madras to Pursue Joint Research and Innovation in Artificial Intelligence and Analytics

GAVS Technologies and Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras), to pursue joint research and innovation in Artificial Intelligence and Analytics, aimed at enhancing the Predictive Analytics based Zero Incident FrameworkTM platform developed by GAVS.

GAVS Technologies and IIT, Madras, have signed an MoU to conduct projects in the areas of Smart Machines and Automation through collaborative innovation and research, under the aegis of Robert Bosch Centre for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (RBC-DSAI) at IIT-Madras. They intend to work together to submit ideas for joint research to break boundaries in AI science and technology in IT Infrastructure Management.

This is a great headway for GAVS Technologies, who have been doing significant work in disruptive technologies in AI and Analytics, in Enterprise Management across the US, UK, ME and India.

The projects under this initiative will be jointly headed by Prof. Nandan Sudarsanam, Department of Management Studies, IIT Madras, Prof. Balaraman Ravindran, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, IIT Madras, and Balaji Uppili, Chief Delivery Officer, GAVS Technologies.

About GAVS Technologies

GAVS Technologies (GAVS) is a global IT services & solutions provider enabling digital transformation through automation-led IT infrastructure solutions. GAVS' offerings are powered by Smart Machines, DevOps & Predictive Analytics and aligned to improve user experience by 10x and reduce resource utilization by 40%.

GAVS has been recognized as an emerging player in the Healthcare Provider IT outsourcing sector by Everest Group and as a prominent India-based remote infrastructure management player & one of the key small players serving the mid-market & enterprise clients in North America by Gartner.

About IIT Madras and the Robert Bosch Centre for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (RBC- DSAI) at IIT-Madras

Indian Institute of Technology Madras is one among the foremost institutes of national importance in higher technological education, basic and applied research, established in 1959. The Institute has sixteen academic departments and several advanced research centers in various disciplines of engineering and pure sciences, with over 100 laboratories organized in a unique pattern of functioning. A faculty of international repute, a brilliant student community, excellent technical & supporting staff and an effective administration have all contributed to the pre-eminent status of IIT Madras.

IITM has been ranked No.1 amongst Engineering Institutions in the India Rankings 2016 and 2017 and No.2 in the category of Overall Institutions in the 2017 Rankings, released by the National Institutional Ranking Framework, MHRD, Government of India www.iitm.ac.in.

RBC-DSAI was founded in August 2017, with a vision to become an internationally renowned centre for data science research, where long-standing fundamental research problems, cutting across disciplines, are targeted and solved.

Date: 20th February 2018 Publication: The Times of India Edition: Online Journalist: Ranjani Ayyar Professor: Prof. Nandan Sudarsanam, Prof. Balaraman Ravindran Headline: GAVS Technologies and IIT-Madras to pursue joint research and innovation in AI and analytics URL: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/gavs-technologies-and-iit- madras-to-pursue-joint-research-and-innovation-in-ai-and-analytics/articleshow/62980348.cms

GAVS Technologies and IIT-Madras to pursue joint research and innovation in AI and analytics

CHENNAI: Chennai-headquartered GAVS Technologies and Indian Institute of Technology- Madras (IIT-Madras) will pursue joint research and innovation in artificial intelligence (AI) and analytics, aimed at enhancing the predictive analytics-based Zero Incident Framework platform developed by GAVS.

An MoU has been signed to conduct projects in the areas of smart machines and automation through collaborative innovation and research, under the aegis of Robert Bosch Centre for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (RBC-DSAI) at IIT-Madras.

They intend to work together to submit ideas for joint research to break boundaries in AI science and technology in IT infrastructure management.

The projects will be jointly headed by Nandan Sudarsanam, professor, department of management studies, IIT-Madras, Balaraman Ravindran, professor, department of computer science and engineering, IIT Madras, and Balaji Uppili, chief delivery officer, GAVS Technologies

“We have been doing significant work in disruptive technologies in AI and Analytics, in enterprise management across the US, the UK, the ME and India. This is a great headway for the company,” said the spokespersons from GAVS Technologies. Date: 20th February 2018 Publication: Web India Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof. Nandan Sudarsanam, Prof. Balaraman Ravindran Headline: GAVS Technologies and IIT-Madras to pursue joint research and innovation in AI and analytics URL: https://news.webindia123.com/news/articles/India/20180219/3280339.html

GAVS Technologies and IIT-Madras to pursue joint research and innovation in AI and analytics

GAVS Technologies, a global IT services and solutions provider, on Monday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT Madras) to conduct projects in the areas of Smart Machines and Automation. Both the Institutions would pursue joint research and innovation in Artificial Intelligence and Analytics, aimed at enhancing the Predictive Analytics based Zero Incident Framework platform developed by GAVS. The MoU was to conduct projects in the areas of Smart Machines and Automation through collaborative innovation and research, under the aegis of Robert Bosch Centre for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (RBC-DSAI) at IIT-M.

They intend to work together to submit ideas for joint research to break boundaries in Artificial Intelligence (AI) science and technology in IT Infrastructure Management, a GAVS release said.

This is a great headway for GAVS Technologies, who have been doing significant work in disruptive technologies in AI and Analytics, in Enterprise Management across US, UK, Middle East and India.

The projects under this initiative would be jointly headed by Prof Nandan Sudarsanam, Department of Management Studies, IIT-Madras, Prof Balaraman Ravindran, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, IIT-Madras, and Balaji Uppili, Chief Delivery Officer, GAVS Technologies.

Date: 20th February 2018 Publication: Factor Daily Edition: Online Journalist: Anand Murali Professor: Prof Anil Prabhakar Headline: Meet QuNu Labs, the Bengaluru startup making data safer for the quantum computing era URL: https://factordaily.com/qunu-labs-quantum-cryptography/

Global tech giants and scientists are in a race to build quantum computers, hoping to usher in the Quantum era of computing– faster and more efficient than ever before.

In Bengaluru, a new startup is solving a big problem that might crop up if the world sets foot into the quantum era: that of data security.

Traditional cryptography techniques that rely on complex mathematical problems to keep your data secure tend to fail in the quantum era as quantum computers can solve these easily.

This is where Bengaluru based QuNu Labs wants to make a difference. The startup is currently working on Quantum Key Distribution (QKD), a technology with which encryption keys can be exchanged securely over networks.

“Classical optical networks are unsafe for various reasons and are going to become substantially more unsafe with the advent of quantum computing,” says Mark Mathias, the CEO and co-founder of QuNu Labs.

Traditional networks are unsafe even if it’s encrypted because quantum computers can quickly break cryptography that exists today.

Mark Mathias, the CEO and co-founder of QuNu Labs. QuNu Labs’s solution uses two channels– one to transmit encrypted data and the second one to transmit the secure private key that’s used to decrypt the data. The data is shared over a traditional network while the secure keys are shared through a quantum channel using photons (light particles).

This way, even if the data line is tapped, the attacker won’t be able to decrypt the data without the encryption key. The key is nearly impossible to tap because intercepting light particles on the quantum channel will change its properties and make it useless for the attacker. The system can also detect such interference and alert users.

Scientists have been dreaming of building quantum computers for over three decades now. And there’s more ground to cover. But the quantum era might be here sooner than we think and cryptography will play an important role in making it useful for a variety of industries.

QuNu Labs, founded in September 2016, is one of the early movers in the space. Anil Prabhakar, who heads the laser optics group at IIT-Madras and Mathias, who has over 35 years experience in electronic product design are the two co-founders of the company.

QKD system architecture.

“It’s much more a reality today than it was a few years ago and it’s very possible in our lifetime,” says Anil Kumar, who used to be the principal investigator at IISc’s Centre for Quantum Information and Quantum Computation. “Cryptography is in fact one of the first areas people want to use quantum technology,” says Kumar.

What is quantum Key Distribution?

Traditionally encryption systems rely on symmetric (private) or asymmetric (public) key for encryption. Symmetric key encryption techniques like the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) use the same key to encrypt and decrypt data and asymmetric key encryption techniques use private and public keys (the public key is shared, but the private key is kept a secret to decrypt the information). These encryption techniques rely on the fact that it will take a lot of computing power to crack the mathematical algorithms they are based on, with currently available systems. But with quantum computers becoming a reality, it is only a matter of time before these encryption standards become unsafe.

This is where Quantum cryptography comes in. A Stanford project on modern cryptography calls quantum cryptography as “the cutting edge discovery which seems to guarantee privacy even when assuming eavesdroppers with unlimited computing powers.”

One of the current challenges faced while transmitting data is how securely the encryption keys can be shared between the parties transmitting and accessing the data. Enter QKD.

“Today in most cases the security of the network is all in the software layers and this is because the backbone or the physical layer is assumed to be safe. But anybody can tap that network and QKD addresses that problem,” says Mathias.

QuNu Labs is currently privately funded and has 2 teams consisting of 12 people working at their Bangalore center and 10 others working at IIT-Madras. Their first QKD product, called the QNL-X100, is in its alpha prototype stage.

A prototype of QNL-X100 .

“The product is currently in its alpha prototype stage and is being readied for pilot trials, by the end of this quarter, with a few selected clients,” says Prabhakar. The clients also include defense labs in the country.

Some of the industries and sectors the company sees as their potential customers include defense establishments, intelligence agencies, financial institutions and corporates which handle confidential data.

Challenges for quantum systems A big challenge for quantum technology implementations is that as the distance of the optical network increases so does the loss of photons or qubits (Quantum bits). Another challenge is to make the system work with an existing infrastructure and in some cases even if an existing optical link exists, it may bring down the efficiency of the system and hence a new optical link might need to be laid.

“The challenge with distance and length is being addressed by newer and more sophisticated protocols. Our initial prototype will have a range of up to 40 Kms and the next iteration is expected to go up to 200 Kms in range and the upgraded range can also be implemented on our existing model,” says Mathias.

Extreme environmental conditions can also pose challenges to such systems. For instance, photon detection works better at lower temperatures and in India, it tends to get hot. “Within closed labs, we can manage it better but in real-world deployments, you have to manage the environment,” says Prabhakar.

“The second challenge is the timing at which the photon has arrived. Photon arrival times are statistically unknown. If they are known then it is a security breach. So you need to be able to stamp the time on the photon and you have to do that with a certain amount of precision so that you have not confused it for another photon. How accurately are you able to derive that time stamp is another challenge.”

In the next three years, QuNu Labs also plans to foray into Post-quantum cryptography (PQC) Free Space, LiFi and Satellite-based QKD.

Companies like Toshiba and ID Quantique (IDQ) already offer QKD-based solutions but being an indigenous technology company might go a big way in helping QuNu Labs in the Indian market especially with applications in sectors like defense and security. The company is already in talks with defense establishments, DRDO and the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT) for their product.

Date: 21st February 2018 Publication: Hindustan Times Edition: Delhi / Faridabad / Noida Page No: 21 Journalist: Sarah Zia Professor: Prof Ashwin Mahalingam Headline: Two IITs to coordinate smart city research

Date: 21st February 2018 Publication: Steel Guru Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof R Nagarajan Headline: Smart City Research - IIT-Madras to work with foreign institutions URL: https://steelguru.com/infra/smart-city-research-iit-madras-to-work-with-foreign- institutions/502789

Smart City Research - IIT-Madras to work with foreign institutions

Times of India reported that IIT Madras has been appointed the Indian coordinator for the 'Smart City' working group of Heritage Network, an Indo-European network of 20 higher education leading technical Institutions. The network, which coordinates for international projects on Smart Cities, collaborates on research and academic activities. A 'Smart City working group' was constituted during the 2nd General Assembly Meeting of the Heritage Network held earlier this month to formulate a workable action plan for the Heritage Network consortium. During this meeting, IIT Madras and IIT Kanpur were chosen as the Indian coordinators along with Universidad Politecnica de Madrid (UPM) and KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, selected as the European coordinators. Prof R Nagarajan, Dean (International and Alumni Relations), IIT Madras said that networks like this provide them with an opportunity to collaborate simultaneously with several global institutions on topics of current relevance to society.

The meeting also kickstarted the Heritage Network Workshop Series focusing on areas of importance to both Europe and India. Various aspects such as exchange programs, industry participation, funding channels, and outreach activities were discussed to draft a roadmap for the Heritage Network. A dedicated workshop on Smart City to evaluate the progress of the working group during the next annual GA meeting in 2019 will be held as well. Date: 22nd February 2018 Publication: Little India Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: NRI Billionaires Set Up India’s First AI Research Institute for Social Good URL: https://littleindia.com/nri-billionaires-set-indias-first-ai-research-institute-social-good/

NRI Billionaires Set Up India’s First AI Research Institute for Social Good

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Wadhwani Institute for Artificial Intelligence, founded by Indian American Wadhwani brothers, in Mumbai on Feb. 18. It is said to be the first research institute in India that is dedicated towards finding artificial intelligence solutions for social good. The project is the initiative of Sunil Wadhwani, the Pennsylvania-based co-founder and co-chairman of Mastech Digital, Inc. that had revenue of over $40 million in 2017, and Romesh Wadhwani, the California-based founder of Symphony Technology, who was named as one of the richest men in the United States in 2016. “I have had various interactions with Indian diaspora across the globe during the last three and a half years or so. I have felt an intense desire, to make a contribution to India. Through this Institute, Romesh ji and Sunil ji have blended this desire with a futuristic vision of a prosperous and vibrant India. In doing so, they have set an example that is worthy of emulation,” Modi said at the launch of the institute. “This is a prime example of how the public sector and the private sector can combine with good intention to build a world-class institute aimed at benefiting the poor,” he added. The institute, which will seek AI solutions in the fields of agriculture, health, education and infrastructure, will be based at the Kalina campus of the Mumbai University. The institute will collaborate with renowned education and research centers such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Stanford, University of Southern California, NYU, University of Washington, Alan Turing Institute, IIT Bombay, IIT Madras and IIT Delhi, among others. The Wadhwani brothers have committed $30 million for the first 10 years of the institute, which has tied up with the Maharashtra government to identify problems and find solutions. Wadhwani AI also intends to created a talent pool of AI and data science experts. It will be led by AI pioneer and founding MD of Microsoft Research India, Dr. P. Anandan. According to a recent report by Forrester Research, Asian countries are quickly adopting artificial intelligence. The investment and adoption of artificial intelligence in Asia showed a marked rise between 2016 and 2017, led by China (from 31 per cent to 61 per cent) and India (from 29 per cent to 69 per cent). “Indian systems integrators are also actively participating in AI consortiums such as OpenAI,” the research stated. The NITI Aayog is also planning a national program on artificial intelligence. “The road ahead for Artificial Intelligence depends on and will be driven by Human Intentions. It is our intention that will determine the outcomes of artificial intelligence,” Modi said. However, the increasing adoption of AI has also fueled fears of job loss. The Indian prime minister, however, dismissed them. “Such fears are neither un-founded nor new,” he said. “At every stage of technological evolution, we have faced such doubts and questions. This leads to two views of the future. First brings hopes and aspirations and second brings fears of disruption…New opportunities have always outnumbered the lost ones. Human ingenuity has always prevailed and it will continue to do so in the future.”

Date: 23rd February 2018 Publication: Business Standard Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: Axilor sets up 65-seat facility at IIT-M Research Park URL: http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/axilor-sets-up-65-seat-facility-at-iit-m- research-park-118022200806_1.html

Axilor sets up 65-seat facility at IIT-M Research Park

Axilor Ventures, which runs an accelerator programme for start-ups and is a seed investor, has expanded in the Chennai market by opening a new office in the city today.The 65-seat facility would operate from IIT Madras Research Park, a company statement said."Chennai is an apt location for Axilor's first market expansion. Not only it is credited with some of the country's best startups, but also education institutions like IIT Madras," Axilor Ventures, Chairman, Kris Gopalakrishnan said.Accelerators support early stage startups by offering education, training, mentoring and by providing capital."Axilor's launch in IIT Madras strengthen the ties with the institution and we will explore the potential of investing in startups", he said.As part of setting up the centre, the programme has invited applications for the seventh accelerator programme 'COHORT' scheduled to begin in March.Talking about it, Axilor Ventures, Programmes-Head, Asutosh Upadhyay said, "Over the last three years, Axilor's accelerator programme clearly emerged as the top choice for founders of early stage tech startups."Applications for the seventh COHORT programme are open till February 28 and it works with startups engaged in consumer, enterprise, financial technology and health.Axilor Ventures has supported more than 80 startups over the last three years, the release added.

Date: 23rd February 2018 Publication: Outlook Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: Axilor sets up 65-seat facility at IIT-M Research Park URL: https://www.outlookindia.com/newsscroll/axilor-sets-up-65seat-facility-at-iitm-research- park/1258714

Axilor sets up 65-seat facility at IIT-M Research Park

Chennai, Feb 22 : Axilor Ventures, which runs an accelerator programme for start-ups and is a seed investor, has expanded in the Chennai market by opening a new office in the city today. The 65-seat facility would operate from IIT Madras Research Park, a company statement said. "Chennai is an apt location for Axilor's first market expansion. Not only it is credited with some of the country's best startups, but also education institutions like IIT Madras," Axilor Ventures, Chairman, Kris Gopalakrishnan said. Accelerators support early stage startups by offering education, training, mentoring and by providing capital. "Axilor's launch in IIT Madras strengthen the ties with the institution and we will explore the potential of investing in startups", he said. As part of setting up the centre, the programme has invited applications for the seventh accelerator programme 'COHORT' scheduled to begin in March. Talking about it, Axilor Ventures, Programmes-Head, Asutosh Upadhyay said, "Over the last three years, Axilor's accelerator programme clearly emerged as the top choice for founders of early stage tech startups." Applications for the seventh COHORT programme are open till February 28 and it works with startups engaged in consumer, enterprise, financial technology and health. Axilor Ventures has supported more than 80 startups over the last three years, the release added.

Date: 23rd February 2018 Publication: India Today Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: Axilor sets up 65-seat facility at IIT-M Research Park URL: https://www.indiatoday.in/pti-feed/story/axilor-sets-up-65-seat-facility-at-iit-m-research-park- 1175518-2018-02-22

Chennai, Feb 22 (PTI): Axilor Ventures, which runs an accelerator programme for start-ups and is a seed investor, has expanded in the Chennai market by opening a new office in the city today. The 65- seat facility would operate from IIT Madras Research Park, a company statement said. "Chennai is an apt location for Axilors first market expansion. Not only it is credited with some of the countrys best startups, but also education institutions like IIT Madras," Axilor Ventures, Chairman, Kris Gopalakrishnan said. Accelerators support early stage startups by offering education, training, mentoring and by providing capital. "Axilors launch in IIT Madras strengthen the ties with the institution and we will explore the potential of investing in startups", he said. As part of setting up the centre, the programme has invited applications for the seventh accelerator programme COHORT scheduled to begin in March. Talking about it, Axilor Ventures, Programmes-Head, Asutosh Upadhyay said, "Over the last three years, Axilors accelerator programme clearly emerged as the top choice for founders of early stage tech startups." Applications for the seventh COHORT programme are open till February 28 and it works with startups engaged in consumer, enterprise, financial technology and health. Axilor Ventures has supported more than 80 startups over the last three years, the release added. PTI VIJ SS

Date: 23rd February 2018 Publication: Little India Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: NRI Billionaires Set Up India’s First AI Research Institute for Social Good URL: https://littleindia.com/nri-billionaires-set-indias-first-ai-research-institute-social-good/

The project is the initiative of Sunil Wadhwani, the Pennsylvania-based co-founder and co-chairman of Mastech Digital, Inc. that had revenue of over $40 million in 2017, and Romesh Wadhwani, the California-based founder of Symphony Technology, who was named as one of the richest men in the United States in 2016.

“I have had various interactions with Indian diaspora across the globe during the last three and a half years or so. I have felt an intense desire, to make a contribution to India. Through this Institute, Romesh ji and Sunil ji have blended this desire with a futuristic vision of a prosperous and vibrant India. In doing so, they have set an example that is worthy of emulation,” Modi said at the launch of the institute.

“This is a prime example of how the public sector and the private sector can combine with good intention to build a world-class institute aimed at benefiting the poor,” he added.

The institute, which will seek AI solutions in the fields of agriculture, health, education and infrastructure, will be based at the Kalina campus of the Mumbai University. The institute will collaborate with renowned education and research centers such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Stanford, University of Southern California, NYU, University of Washington, Alan Turing Institute, IIT Bombay, IIT Madras and IIT Delhi, among others.

The Wadhwani brothers have committed $30 million for the first 10 years of the institute, which has tied up with the Maharashtra government to identify problems and find solutions. Wadhwani AI also intends to created a talent pool of AI and data science experts. It will be led by AI pioneer and founding MD of Microsoft Research India, Dr. P. Anandan.

According to a recent report by Forrester Research, Asian countries are quickly adopting artificial intelligence. The investment and adoption of artificial intelligence in Asia showed a marked rise between 2016 and 2017, led by China (from 31 per cent to 61 per cent) and India (from 29 per cent to 69 per cent).

“Indian systems integrators are also actively participating in AI consortiums such as OpenAI,” the research stated.

The NITI Aayog is also planning a national program on artificial intelligence. “The road ahead for Artificial Intelligence depends on and will be driven by Human Intentions. It is our intention that will determine the outcomes of artificial intelligence,” Modi said.

However, the increasing adoption of AI has also fueled fears of job loss. The Indian prime minister, however, dismissed them. “Such fears are neither un-founded nor new,” he said. “At every stage of technological evolution, we have faced such doubts and questions. This leads to two views of the future. First brings hopes and aspirations and second brings fears of disruption…New opportunities have always outnumbered the lost ones. Human ingenuity has always prevailed and it will continue to do so in the future.”

Date: 23rd February 2018 Publication: The Times of India Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: Axilor sets up base in Chennai, launches AXENT URL: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/axilor-sets-up-base-in-chennai- launches-axent/articleshow/63035190.cms

Chennai: The Bengaluru-based Axilor Ventures on Thursday announced that it has set up an office in Chennai within IIT Madras Research Park.

The accelerator has taken up a 65 seater space within the research park. This is the accelerator’s first office outside Bengaluru. Axilor also announced the launch of AXENT - its market network program. The program allows access to venture capitalists, corporates, go-to-market partners and tech services. Kris Gopalakrishnan, chairman, Axilor Ventures said, “Chennai is an apt location for Axilor’s first market expansion. Axilor’s launch in IIT Madras strengthens our ties with the institution and we will continue to explore the potential of investing in startups coming out of there. IIT is a hotbed for deep tech, bio tech and med tech. We hope to support startups that are looking to tap into these areas.”

The accelerator has worked with and invested in Chennai based startups like Detect Technologies and PipeCandy. “After Bengaluru, we have seen a substantial number of applications for our programs from Chennai. We hope to support startups from the city in large numbers going forward,” Ganapathy Venugopal, co-founder and CEO of Axilor Ventures.

Date: 25th February 2018 Publication: The Times of India Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof. Sudhir Chella Rajan Headline: Sea-level rise in 30 years a threat to chennai URL: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/sea-level-rise-in-30-years-a-threat-to- chennai/articleshow/63057586.cms

Sea-level rise in 30 years a threat to Chennai

It may seem unbelievable, but there is a good chance that one day the lively coast of Tamil Nadu will no longer be there. This is not a doomsday scenario conjured up by those who see gloom and doom everywhere, but a very stark reality staring us in the face. Thousands of fishermen communities, fancy resorts and restaurants, corporate firms, and the street hawkers may fade into oblivion 30 years from now, say experts and researchers, who are tirelessly working on ways to minimise the loss due to calamities arising out of global warming. The international scientific community report that there is a possibility that by 2050, we could see several cm of sea-level rise (SLR). According to the report, the high-risk areas are in the districts of Thiruvallur, Chennai, Kanchipuram, Villupuram, Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Thiruvarur, Thanjavur, Pudukottai, Ramanathapuram, Tuticorin, Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari. Areas below 5m are at risk in all these coastal districts where the future storm surge is expected to go above 4 m, the report adds.

At a recent seminar, Sudhir Chella Rajan, project scientist at Indo-German Centre for Sustainability (IGCS), who also teaches at the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, IIT-Madras, warned that such events are likely to happen 30 years from now. “It’s not a prediction or forecast. We are developing scenarios about the possible future climate change and sea-level rise. Based on the Paleoclimate Records (study of changes in climate taken on the scale of the entire history of earth), we know that sea levels could rise by metres with 2 degrees of warming. We are now 1 degree warmer than in pre-industrial times,” says Rajan. Recommended By Colombia

So, is there a way we can reduce the destruction from long-term sea level rise? Rajan says that 30 years is a good amount of time to plan. “The government bodies and public need to understand the vulnerable parts of coasts, what investment should be made, or should we think about retreat, or should we think about organising certain ways of life on the coast. Like in Chennai, we have Ennore creeks, Adyar Estuary and Adyar Eco Park, these are valuable ecosystems and we need to protect them. We can look at three types of options — one is based of engineering solution, the second is preserve natural ecosystem, and the third is retreat. In India, we have not done any analysis like this yet, but in the UK, the Netherlands and in Bangladesh, it’s already been done and they are working towards it,” he adds. Low-lying coastal areas, encroachment and construction on the lake and river beds are under serious threat. “Areas like Velachery are vulnerable, but somehow, permission was given to construct buildings in those areas, which is wrong. We don’t have to wait for 30 years to see such regions being inundated; that can happen in two years. If the ice in Greenland and Antarctica melts, the average sea-level will be 120 metres. But nobody is expecting that to happen suddenly because climate change is a slow process. Things will happen slowly, but in 30 years, the threat is going to be real,” he explains.

Dr Robert J Nicholls, Professor of Coastal Engineering, University of Southampton, England, who has been working with Jadavpur University on West Bengal and Mahanadi coasts, explains, “Sea-level rose 15-20 cm during the 20th century and is currently rising at 3mm per year based on satellite observations. Continued warming will lead to much larger rises and one meter or more is plausible by the end of the century.”

All coastal low-lying areas are threatened by increased flooding, more erosion, degradation of habitats and salinisation. With a long coast and dense population, India is highly threatened, says Robert. “In 2000, 66 million Indians (or 6.27% of national population) lived below 10m elevation. These people are not all immediately threatened by sea-level rise, but it shows that the relevant populations are large. The deltas along the Bay of Bengal, where cyclones can strike (examples include West Bengal, including Kolkata, and the Mahanadi delta) are at greater risk,” he says.

Sea-level rise is relatively slow and accumulates — disasters are generally brought on by extreme events like cyclones, but rising sea levels make them worse. But man-made dunes may help shield the beaches from rising sea and coastal storms. Dr Robert adds, “The Dutch North Sea coast is protected by dunes, so this can work, but we need enough space for the dunes and they need to be maintained. Further, as sea-levels rise, the land behind the dunes may still become submerged. In general, adapting to sea-level rise will require a systemic approach and a single measure is unlikely to be successful.” Date: 25th February 2018 Publication: Hindustan Times Edition: Online Journalist: Shreya Bhandary Headline: Older IITs should share burden of new IITs, say experts URL: https://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai-news/older-iits-should-share-burden-of-new-iits- say-experts/story-roGwooQfqvTxrGBcVd36fL.html

Older IITs should share burden of new IITs, say experts

While the government believes a blanket increase in the intake capacity of the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) is an answer to the growing demand for engineering degrees, experts feel the problem could be solved by sharing the burden between older and newer IITs.

SS Mantha, former chairman, All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) said instead of burdening the already struggling newer IITs, the responsibility should be shared by the older IITs. “The older IITs should take up the challenge of admitting more students as they receive sizeable funds from the government. They have sufficient space to construct new infrastructure for additional students. While faculty shortage is a global problem, the IITs should train their teachers in innovative techniques (to widen their reach).”

However, the problem faced by most IITs is not just lack of space on campus, but also issues like student-to-teacher ratio. “Before increasing the intake capacity, we need to make sure that we have enough space to accommodate all students, which is our priority and concern. We don’t see the point of overburdening our classrooms and hostel rooms,” said Sudhir Jain, director, IIT- Gandhinagar.

Last year, IIT-Bombay had started a new undergraduate course and increased its intake capacity by 30 seats, but the institute does not have similar plans for the upcoming academic year. The institute boasts of a massive campus with 16 hostel buildings while another two buildings are on the anvil. These hostel buildings have been on paper for the past five years and one building should be constructed by next year.

“One of the new hostel buildings that can accommodate 1,100 rooms should be ready by mid-2019 and another similar hostel building should come up in another two years,” said Devang Khakhar, director, IIT-Bombay. He added that while the institute has no plans of increasing the intake capacity of existing courses, they might start a new course. However, there’s no confirmation as yet.

IIT-Tirupati, which was inaugurated in August 2015, is currently functioning out of a temporary campus on the outskirts of the temple town. “The construction of the new building complex at Yerpedu on Srikalahasti Road, about 20km from Tirupati, is going on at a brisk pace and is expected to be completed by 2024. But we will be moving into the new premises by 2020, by which time some of the buildings would be ready to accommodate the strength of students,” said KN Satyanarayana, director of the institute.

IIT-Tirupati is one of the newer institutes to increase their intake capacity by 120-150 in the upcoming academic year. “We have around 45 teaching faculty, including some from our mentor institute IIT-Madras, which is sufficient for the present strength and we have already started recruitment process of hiring another 15-20 teachers in various streams,” added Satyanarayana. Date: 25th February 2018 Publication: The New Indian Express Edition: Online Journalist: Gagandeep Kaur Headline: The real story behind India’s 5G dreams URL: http://www.newindianexpress.com/business/2018/feb/24/the-real-story-behind-indias-5g- dreams-1778473.html

The real story behind India’s 5G dreams

With the hope of launching 5G technology along with global telcos in 2020, the Indian government has started taking baby steps for the development of 5G in the country. The 5G technology is currently being standardised and India wants to play a role in the standardisation process. Finance minister Arun Jaitley recently allocated `500 crore for research and development of 5G technology and a part of this will be used to set up a research team of 200 researchers from the five IITs of Delhi, Chennai, Bombay, Hyderabad, and Kanpur. This team will work towards creating India-specific use cases for 5G. Further, the Department of Telecommunications will set up a development centre with IIT Chennai to work on 5G technology. This can, then, be used by telcos, and other players of the ecosystem, to test the technology and use cases.

This is possibly the first time that the Indian government is taking the initiative to play an active role in the development of telecom technologies. Usually, Indian telcos are somewhat behind the global telcos in deploying technologies. They are also not known to conduct extensive trials and demonstrations before implementing a new technology. A spectrum auction is also being planned later this year.

This seems to be changing with Jio’s entry in 2016. The service provider’s disruptive entry was preceded by many trials and pilots mainly because 4G was still a developing technology. With this, India did close the gap between new technology and its launch in the country. Airtel also recently conducted a trial of multiple input multiple output (MIMO), a key technology required for the deployment of 5G. So, it is not without reason that the Indian government now wants to work to close this gap further. Any new technology is an opportunity for a new player or a country to come up and take on the leadership role.

Deep distress in telecom industry Even so, a closer look reveals the deep distress of the Indian telecommunications industry. The massive debt of `4.5 lakh crore or $70 billion will make it extremely tough for Indian telcos to invest in the development of 5G. Extreme hyper-competitive market environment means that the concern is right now to plug the losses, increase their market share and reduce losses. All service providers, except Reliance Jio, posted losses in the last quarterly results. It is tough for the telcos to invest in the new technology. There is another reason why the service providers might be slightly reluctant to join the 5G bandwagon is the concerns around monetisation of 5Gtechnology. In spite of the global hype around 5G, many telcos, including British Telecom have raised concerns around the return of investment of 5G.

5G is unlike any previous technology. It promises ultra-high mobile broadband speed with extremely low latency. This unique combination potentially opens up a host of new and innovative real-time use cases including remote surgery, autonomous driving, augmented reality and virtual reality. But, it also involves collaborating with different industry verticals, and business models are going to be fundamentally different from the prevailing ones.

“I talk to other CEOs around the world in this space, and we have all been struggling a little bit making the business case work,” BT’s CEO Gavin Patterson is reported to have said while talking about 5G at a recent event. Deutsche Telekom and other telcos across the globe have voiced similar concerns. Lack of an business model, coupled with huge debt and falling profits, is sure to evince zero interest from Indian telcos in this technology. Besides, the service providers are still in the process of expanding 4G networks in the country and would like to monetise that before they begin to invest in newer technology.

Date: 25th February 2018 Publication: The New Indian Express Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof. KC Sivakumar Headline: National maths conference at SRM University concludes URL: http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/2018/feb/25/national-maths-conference- at-srm-university-concludes-1778625.html

National maths conference at SRM University concludes

CHENNAI: A two-day national conference on Recent Trends in Mathematics and its Application (NCRTMA’18’), organised by the Department of Mathematics, SRM-Vadapalani, concluded on Saturday. About 150 research scholars participated, according to college staff. “We received 120 research papers of which we’ve short-listed 81 to be sent to the International Journal of Pure and Applied Mathematics,” he said. The conference was inaugurated by D Viswanathan, a former Vice-Chancellor of Anna University, Chennai, along with K Duraivelu, Dean (E&T), SRM University, Vadapalani and B Baskaran, Head of Department of Mathematics.

Nanjundan from Bangalore University and KC Sivakumar from IIT-Madras, spoke extensively on broader topic of ‘Introduction to Random walk in probability’ and ‘Almost skew-symmetric matrices’, concentrating on the nuances of each procedure and explaining the underlying disciplines of variational analysis and inequalities, functional analysis, differential and difference equations.

The conference’s objective was to create a forum for updating current research trends and rekindle exploration in the mathematical domain. APJMJ Sheikh Dawood, grand son of former President APJ Abdul Kalam, delivered the valedictory address.

Date: 25th February 2018 Publication: Qrius Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof. Kamakoti Veezhinathan Headline: 25 years on from 1991’s LPG, India is planning to roll out a new industrial policy URL: https://qrius.com/1991-lpg-india-new-industrial-policy/

25 years on from 1991’s LPG, India is planning to roll out a new industrial policy New policy in the works In August 2017, the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) released a discussion paper on the proposed industrial policy. The paper reviewed the developments in the last twenty- five years and noted the challenges faced. Public comments were invited on the paper to facilitate the formulation of the new policy. Subsequently, a draft has been prepared and is currently being presented for seeking “consultations from industry”. Since the beginning of this month, the Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu, has participated in deliberations on the proposed policy with stakeholders at an event in Guwahati and subsequently with the Confederation of Indian Industry members. Though the latest draft has yet to be made available to the public, it is expected that the new industrial policy will be finalised in the coming month. Consequently, even after completing inputs, the report will be tabled for approval before the cabinet by April.

Changes brought by the new proposal The new policy is ambitious and aspires to be futuristic. It aims to link industrial growth with the growth of India’s economy, creating a globally competitive industry that leverages skill, scale and technology. Similar to the 1991 policy, the focus on foreign direct investment (FDI) and liberalising regulations remain because they have proven to be beneficial in the past. The policy now seeks to enable the creation of global brands linking Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), both Indian and global, along with encouraging FDIs that create local value addition. Aspirations to change, even at the district level, can strengthen the ease of doing business and reduce compliance costs. The policy also seeks to ensure employment to new entrants along with re-employment to those who might lose jobs as a result of increased automation. It will subsume the old National Manufacturing Policy of 2011 which sought to create 100 million jobs by 2022.

Special Focus on AI To become globally competitive, India has to keep up with the technological advancement taking place internationally. The ‘Industrial Revolution 4.0’ uses the new policy to promote modern, smart technology. It has been theorised that the fourth edition of the industrial revolution will include artificial intelligence, robotics, deep learning, all of which could bring a sea of changes to everyday life.

The promotion of technology is imperative to the ease of doing business, an essential component for promoting India as an international destination for advanced manufacturing. While releasing a discussion paper on the industrial policy last year, the government also constituted an eighteen- member task force to explore the possibilities of using artificial intelligence (AI) for India’s economic transformation. The task force is chaired by Dr Kamakoti Veezhinathan, a professor at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. The objectives of the task force include creating a policy and legal framework to accelerate the deployment of AI technologies with a five-year horizon. This is projected to give recommendations for specific government, industry, and research programs.

Using AI in the Indian context The new policy aims at projecting India as an advanced manufacturing hub, which is impossible to achieve without embracing and promoting smart technologies such as AI. Further, in order to emerge as a forerunner in technological advancement, there is a need to invest in research and development. The policy aims to support this by incentivising the implementation of emerging technologies for creating ease of innovation.

Speaking at the sidelines of a session at the World Economic Forum-IES last year, minister Suresh Prabhu had said that the new industrial policy will help Indian companies integrate into the global value chain, as well as ensure that they take a “quantum jump” in terms of technological advancement. Therefore, the promotion of AI will result in India gaining a global importance. AI is predicted to replace 45 percent of employee time and lessen human intervention in performing tasks. In a country like India, which boasts of its demographic dividend, lesser jobs will only result in detrimental unemployment. As such, it is crucial that the government reforms have a sound backup plan, or else AI may prove too harmful.

Threading a path forward In October 2016, Sundar Pillai, the CEO of Google had said, “The last 10 years have been about building a world that is mobile-first. In the next 10 years, we will shift to a world that is AI-first.” As India aspires to become globally competitive, adoption of smart technology across sectors will undoubtedly contribute to economic development. The new industrial policy supports and focuses not only on what is currently important but aims to be futuristic as well.

The complexity is that India needs to provide a supportive educational framework that will enable the country to easily adapt to the technological advancements. The new industrial policy promotes sustainable and responsible development, along with drawing attention on issues of creating employment. However, the impact will only be felt when implementation will be felt.

Date: 25th February 2018 Publication: The Hindu Edition: Online Journalist: NA Alumni: Subra Suresh Headline: Mangalore University convocation tomorrow URL: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/mangalore-university-convocation- tomorrow/article22847444.ece

Mangalore University convocation tomorrow Subra Suresh to get honorary doctorate Mangalore University will confer its honorary doctorate (Honoris Causa) on Subra Suresh, president, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, at its 36th annual convocation in Mangalagangotri on Monday.

Of 26,164 who are eligible to get their degrees in the convocation, 2,963 persons will receive them in person, according to K. Byrappa, Vice-Chancellor of the university. Addressing reporters here on Saturday, he said Mr. Suresh will also deliver the convocation address.

The Syndicate of the university had recommended eight persons to the government for its honorary degree. A Governor-appointed committee had selected three among them and recommended it to the Governor. The Governor, who is Chancellor of the university, selected Mr. Suresh.

An alumnus of IIT Madras, Mr. Suresh is author and co-author of over 240 research articles in international journals. He received the Padma Shri in 2011. He was Director of National Science Foundation and professor of engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Mr. Byrappa said the university would award 97 Doctor of Philosophy degrees, 45 gold medals and 75 cash prizes at the convocation. Of 26,164 candidates who passed during 2016-17 and eligible to get degrees, 79.38% are girls and 61.24 % are boys. There are 242 ranks.

IIT Madras is an innovation and entrepreneurship hub Date: 1st February 2018 Publication: BL on Campus Edition: Online Journalist: NA Alumni: “Kris” Gopalakrishnan Headline: IIT Madras hosts Deshpande-Gopalakrishnan Symposium on Innovation and Entrepreneurship URL: http://www.bloncampus.com/news-wrap/iit-madras-hosts-first-deshpandegopalakrishnan- symposium-on-innovation-and-entrepreneurship/article10057977.ece

IIT Madras hosts Deshpande-Gopalakrishnan Symposium on Innovation and Entrepreneurship

The symposium was organised by the GopalakrishnanDeshpande Centre

In an endeavour to link academia to the market place and create a process where more faculty and students go through the entrepreneurship route, the first Deshpande-Gopalakrishnan Symposium on Innovation and Entrepreneurship was held at Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) between January 28 and 30.

The symposium was organised by the GopalakrishnanDeshpande Centre (GDC) for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at IIT Madras, with the support of IIT Bombay and the Deshpande Foundation.

Addressing the inaugural function, Gururaj “Desh” Deshpande, Chairman of the Deshpande Foundation, co-sponsor of GDC and an IIT Madras Alumnus, said, “As a country, India spends over ₹1 trillion per year on research and development. It is critical for the innovation ecosystem to be able to translate a good part of this R&D spend into scalable products and services that positively impact society. One of the principal objectives of GDC would be to develop and implement initiatives working with leading technology institutions nationwide that transforms and scales research from the academic labs into successful businesses that positively impact society.”

The symposium attracted like-minded practitioners, administrators, and academicians focused on promoting innovation and entrepreneurship across the academic environment besides early stage entrepreneurs and students looking to start their own ventures.

Speaking on the occasion, “Kris” Gopalakrishnan, co-sponsor of GDC and former CEO of Infosys who is also an IIT Madras alumnus, said, “GDC will also support special projects that can potentially create a transformative and positive impact on society. Such projects can be at the ideation stage or they could be running ventures that need some business reconfiguration to grow to full potential.”

Panel discussions

The three-day symposium featured four keynote talks and five topical panel discussions in an interactive forum, which were participated by eminent personalities from the academic and the industry including GopichandKatragadda, Group CTO, TATA Sons Ltd; K Subramanian, Executive Director - R&D, Powergear Ltd; and S Krishnan, IAS, Principal Secretary to Government, Housing and Urban Development Department, Government of Tamil Nadu, among others.

The topics for the panel discussion were:

1. Building an entrepreneurial ecosystem: challenges and solutions

2. Entrepreneurial curriculum models

3. PPP to drive innovation and entrepreneurship

4. Funding innovation across the spectrum – what do funders expect?

5. Innovation in research methods – how to cultivate I&E thinking and creativity in research scholars and faculty?

Signed MoU

At the beginning of the symposium, anMoU was signed between IIT Madras and the University of New Brunswick (UNB), Canada. The MoU covers exchange of students and faculty for research collaboration and education purposes. Post-doctoral Fellows are also included in the scope, and will be prioritised.

Date: 1st February 2018 Publication: Eenadu - English Edition: Online Journalist: NA Alumni: Mr. Gururaj 'Desh' Deshpande, Mr. Kris Gopalakrishnan Headline: IIT-M hosts first Deshpande-Gopalakrishnan symposium on innovation & entrepreneurship URL: http://www.eenaduindia.com/states/south/tamil-nadu/chennai-city/2018/01/31125721/IITM- hosts-first-DeshpandeGopalakrishnan-symposium.vpf

IIT-M hosts first Deshpande-Gopalakrishnan symposium on innovation & entrepreneurship

Chennai: In an endeavour towards linking academia to market place, the first Deshpande- Gopalakrishnan Symposium on Innovation and Entrepreneurship was held at Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) between 28 and 30 January. This symposium was organised by the GopalakrishnanDeshpande Centre (GDC) for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at IIT Madras, with the support of IIT Bombay and the Deshpande Foundation.

Speaking at the event, Gururaj 'Desh' Deshpande, chairman of the Deshpande Foundation, co- sponsor of GDC and an IIT Madras alumnus, said, " As a country, India spends over Rs one trillion per year on research and development. It is critical for the innovation ecosystem in India to be able to translate a good part of this R&D spend into scalable products and services that positively impact society."

He added: " One of the principal objectives of GDC would be to develop and implement initiatives working with leading technology institutions nationwide that transforms and scales research from the academic labs into successful businesses that positively impact society."

Kris Gopalakrishnan, co-sponsor of GDC and former CEO of Infosys who is also an IIT Madras alumnus, said, " GDC will also support special projects that can potentially create a transformative and positive impact on society. Such projects can be at the ideation stage or they could be running ventures that need some business reconfiguration to grow to full potential."

Established in 2017, the core objective of GDC is to foster innovation in academic campuses and bring about a transformation by which scientific and technological ideas can move from an institute’s laboratories to the marketplace by way of sustainable business ventures.

Date: 6th February 2018 Publication: The Hindu Business Line Edition: Chennai/Delhi/Mumbai/Pune/Bangalore/Hyderabad/Kolkata/Kochi/Ahmedabad Page no.: 19 Journalist: NA Professor: Prof. R Nagarajan Alumni: Monishi Sanyal Headline: IIT Madras alumnus launches accelerator

Date: 6th February 2018 Publication: The Times of India Edition: Online Journalist: RanjaniAyyar Professor: Prof. R Nagarajan Alumni: MonishiSanyal Headline: IIT-Madras alumnus launches non-profit accelerator to help IIT startups in Bay Area URL: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/iit-madras-alumnus-launches-non-profit- accelerator-to-help-iit-startups-in-bay-area/articleshow/62791757.cms

CHENNAI: MonishiSanyal, an Indian Institute of Technology-Madras alumnus, has launched a non- profit accelerator in the Bay Area (San Francisco, US) to provide mentorship, incubation and other necessary support to budding entrepreneurs and to connect the IIT alumni in the Silicon Valley. Sanyal, a B Tech (mechanical) graduate from IIT-Madras and the governor's gold medal recipient in 1970, launched the accelerator called IIT Startups at the Computer History Museum, Mountain View, California. The event was attended by over 400 IIT startups, angels, venture capitals and mentors.

"This is the first step in our journey to build a world class accelerator. Our next steps are to run workshops, provide mentorship, incubation and connectivity to the over 11,000 IIT community, advisors, angels and VCs in the Silicon Valley," said Sanyal.

R Nagarajan, dean (international and alumni relations), IIT-Madras, said, "Alumni such as Sanyal have been instrumental in shaping the best-of-breed entrepreneurial ecosystem that thrives in Silicon Valley. IITs have benefited as well from the branding and networking opportunities."

Date: 6th February 2018 Publication: Web India 123 Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof. R Nagarajan Alumni: Monishi Sanyal Headline: IIT Madras Alumnus launches non-profit Accelerator to help IIT startups in Bay Area URL: https://news.webindia123.com/news/Articles/India/20180205/3269271.html

IIT Madras Alumnus launches non-profit Accelerator to help IIT startups in Bay Area An Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, Alumnus has launched a non-profit Accelerator in the Bay Area (San Francisco, U.S.) to provide mentorship, incubation and other necessary support to the budding entrepreneurs and to connect the IIT Alumni in the Silicon Valley.

Called 'IIT STARTUPS,' the accelerator has been founded by Mr. MonishiSanyal, B.Tech (Mechanical) graduate from IIT Madras and the Governor's Gold medal recepient in 1970. It was recently launched at the Computer History Museum, Mountain View, California. The event was attended by over 400 IIT Startups, Angels, Venture Capitals and Mentors,a release from IIT-M said on Monday. Speaking about the objectives behind launching this Accelerator, MrMonishiSanyal said "this is the first step in our journey to build a World Class Accelerator. Our next steps are to run workshops, provide mentorship, incubation and connectivity to the 11,000-plus IIT Community, Advisors, Angels and VCs in the Silicon Valley.

"While the IITiians were very strong technically, their major weaknesses were in Fund Raising and Business Development, he said, adding, in 2019 the plan was to expand the operations by collaborating with the IIT Research Parks in India.

Prof R Nagarajan, Dean (International and Alumni Relations), IIT Madras, said "Alumni such as MrSanyal have been instrumental in shaping the best-of-breed entrepreneurial ecosystem that thrives in Silicon Valley. IITs have benefited as well from the branding and networking opportunities."UNI GV 1535

Date: 6th February 2018 Publication: The Financial Express Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof. R Nagarajan Alumni: Monishi Sanyal Headline: This IIT Madras alumnus has launched something in US to help IITians and budding entrepreneurs – Find out details URL: http://www.financialexpress.com/industry/this-iit-madras-alumnus-has-launched-something- in-us-to-help-iitians-and-budding-entrepreneurs-find-out-details/1052936/

MonishiSanyal, an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras alumnus has launched a non-profit Accelerator in the Bay Area (San Francisco, U.S.) to provide mentorship, incubation and other necessary support to the budding entrepreneurs and to connect the IIT Alumni in the Silicon Valley, the community hold over 11,000 IITians in the Valley. The accelerator, called ‘IIT Startups’, founded by MonishiSanyal was recently launched at the Computer History Museum, Mountain View, California. The event was attended by over 400 IIT Startups, Angels, Venture Capitals and Mentors. MonishiSanyal is a recipient of Governor’s Gold medal in 1970. MonishiSanyal speaking about the objectives behind launching this Accelerator said, “ “This is the first step in our journey to build a World Class Accelerator. Our next steps are to run Workshops, provide Mentorship, Incubation and connectivity to the 11,000+ IIT Community, Advisors, Angels and VCs in the Silicon Valley.”

Monishi further added that though IITiians were very strong technically, their major weaknesses were in Fund Raising and Business Development. Monishi in 2019 plans to to expand the operations by collaborating with the IIT Research Parks in India. Prof. R. Nagarajan, Dean (International and Alumni Relations), IIT Madras, commenting on the accelerator project said, “Alumni such as Mr. Sanyal have been instrumental in shaping the best-of-breed entrepreneurial ecosystem that thrives in Silicon Valley. IITs have benefited as well from the branding and networking opportunities.”

Monishiemphasising on the need for IIT Startups said that the project will address a long felt need which will help IITians surge to greater heights. IITian MonishiSanyal is also the founder of Pan IIT Alumni Association in the U.S., which has over 45,000 members and was the Past President of IIT Madras Alumni Association of North America (IITMAANA), the umbrella organization of all IITM alumni in the USA. He is also an Advisor and Member of the IIT Madras Research Park. IITs are currently ranked Fourth after Stanford University, Harvard University and the University of California, Berkeley in Unicorn Startups (valuation over US$1 Billion).

Date: 6th February 2018 Publication: Business Standard Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof. R Nagarajan Alumni: Monishi Sanyal Headline: IIT alumnus launches accelerator to help IIT startups in US URL: http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/iit-alumnus-launches-accelerator-to- help-iit-startups-in-us-118020501127_1.html

An Indian Institute of Technology Madras alumnus has launched a non-profit accelerator at the Bay Area in San Francisco, America.The initiative is to provide mentorship, incubation and other necessary support to the budding entrepreneurs and to connect the IIT alumni at the Silicon valley in America.Called 'IIT Startups,' the accelerator has been founded by MonishiSanyal, a B Tech graduate from IIT Madras and the Governors Gold medal Recipient in 1970, an IIT Madras release here said today.It was recently launched at the Computer History Museum, at California. The event was attended by over 400 IIT Startups, Angels, Venture Capitals and Mentors.Speaking about the objectives behind launching the accelerator, Sanyal said, "This is the first step in our journey to build a world class accelerator.

Our next steps are to run workshops, provide mentorship, incubation and connectivity to the 11,000 plus IIT Community, Advisors, Angels and VCs in the Silicon Valley."While the IITiians were very strong technically, their major weaknesses were in fund raising and business development, he said.In 2019, the plan is to expand the operations by collaborating with the IIT research parks in India, he added.On the initiative, Dean (International and Alumni Relations), IIT Madras, Prof R Nagarajan, said, "Alumni such as Sanyal have been instrumental in shaping the best-of-breed entrepreneurial ecosystem that thrives in Silicon Valley. IITs have benefited as well from the branding and networking opportunities. Date: 6th February 2018 Publication: The Economic Times Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof. R Nagarajan Alumni: Monishi Sanyal Headline: IIT alumnus launches accelerator to help IIT startups in US URL: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/small-biz/startups/newsbuzz/iit-alumnus-launches- accelerator-to-help-iit-startups-in-us/articleshow/62792936.cms

CHENNAI: An Indian Institute of Technology Madras alumnus has launched a non-profit accelerator at the Bay Area in San Francisco, America.

The initiative is to provide mentorship, incubation and other necessary support to the budding entrepreneurs and to connect the IIT alumni at the Silicon valley in America.

Called 'IIT Startups,' the accelerator has been founded by MonishiSanyal, a B Tech graduate from IIT Madras and the Governor's Gold medal Recipient in 1970, an IIT Madras release here said today.

It was recently launched at the Computer History Museum, at California. The event was attended by over 400 IIT Startups, Angels, Venture Capitals and Mentors.

Speaking about the objectives behind launching the accelerator, Sanyal said, "This is the first step in our journey to build a world class accelerator. Our next steps are to run workshops, provide mentorship, incubation and connectivity to the 11,000 plus IIT Cplus IIT Community, Advisors, Angels and VCs in the Silicon Valley."

Date: 6th February 2018 Publication: India Education Diary Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof. R Nagarajan Alumni: Monishi Sanyal Headline: IIT Madras Alumnus launches a non-profit Accelerator to help IIT startups in Bay Area URL: https://indiaeducationdiary.in/iit-madras-alumnus-launches-non-profit-accelerator-help-iit- startups-bay-area/

Chennai: An Indian Institute of Technology Madras Alumnus has launched a non-profit Accelerator in the Bay Area (San Francisco, U.S.) to provide mentorship, incubation and other necessary support to the budding entrepreneurs and to connect the IIT Alumni in the Silicon Valley. Called ‘IIT STARTUPS,’ the accelerator has been founded by Mr. MonishiSanyal, B.Tech (Mechanical) graduate from IIT Madras and the Governor’s Gold medal Recipient in 1970. It was recently launched at the Computer History Museum, Mountain View, California. The event was attended by over 400 IIT Startups, Angels, Venture Capitals and Mentors. Speaking about the objectives behind launching this Accelerator, Mr. MonishiSanyal said, “This is the first step in our journey to build a World Class Accelerator. Our next steps are to run Workshops, provide Mentorship, Incubation and connectivity to the 11,000+ IIT Community, Advisors, Angels and VCs in the Silicon Valley.” While the IITiians were very strong technically, their major weaknesses were in Fund Raising and Business Development. He added that in 2019 the plan is to expand the operations by collaborating with the IIT Research Parks in India.

Speaking about this initiative, Prof. R. Nagarajan, Dean (International and Alumni Relations), IIT Madras, said, “Alumni such as Mr. Sanyal have been instrumental in shaping the best-of-breed entrepreneurial ecosystem that thrives in Silicon Valley. IITs have benefited as well from the branding and networking opportunities.”

Mr. MonishiSanyal is also the founder Pan IIT Alumni Association in the U.S., which has over 45,000 members and was the Past President of IIT Madras Alumni Association of North America (IITMAANA), the umbrella organization of all IITM alumni in the USA. He is also an Advisor and Member of the IIT Madras Research Park.

IITs are currently ranked Fourth after Stanford University, Harvard University and the University of California, Berkeley in Unicorn Startups (valuation over US$1 Billion). “The IIT STARTUPS Accelerators will address a long felt need which will help IITians surge to greater heights, said Mr. MonishiSanyal. Those who spoke on the occasion included Mr. VinodKhosla, Founder of Sun Microsystems and Khosla Ventures, and Mr. Umang Gupta, Founder of Gupta Technologies. A panel discussion followed with the current generation of Unicorns, Mr. DheerajPandey, Founder of Nutanix and Mr. BipulSinha, Founder of Rubriks, which was moderated by Mr. Ravi Mhatre, Founding Partner, Lightspeed Ventures. Mr. AmanWalia, President of IIT Bay Area under whose umbrella the event was organized proposed a vote of thanks.

Date: 6th February 2018 Publication: UNI Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof. R Nagarajan Alumni: Monishi Sanyal Headline: IT Madras Alumnus launches non-profit Accelerator to help IIT startups in Bay Area URL: http://www.uniindia.com/iit-madras-alumnus-launches-non-profit-accelerator-to-help-iit- startups-in-bay-area/states/news/1128380.html

IIT Madras Alumnus launches non-profit Accelerator to help IIT startups in Bay Area

Chennai, Feb 5 (UNI) An Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, Alumnus has launched a non-profit Accelerator in the Bay Area (San Francisco, U.S.) to provide mentorship, incubation and other necessary support to the budding entrepreneurs and to connect theIIT Alumni in the SiliconValley. Called ‘IIT STARTUPS,’ the accelerator has been founded by Mr. MonishiSanyal, B.Tech (Mechanical) graduate from IIT Madras and the Governor’s Gold medal recipient in 1970. It was recently launched at the Computer History Museum, Mountain View, California. The event was attended by over 400 IIT Startups, Angels, Venture Capitals and Mentors, a release from IIT-M said on Monday. Speaking about the objectives behind launching this Accelerator, MrMonishiSanyal said “this is the first step in our journey to build a World Class Accelerator. Our next steps are to run workshops, provide mentorship, incubation and connectivity to the 11,000-plus IIT Community, Advisors, Angels and VCs in the Silicon Valley.” While the IITiians were very strong technically, their major weaknesses were in Fund Raising and Business Development, he said, adding, in 2019 the plan was to expand the operations by collaborating with the IIT Research Parks in India. Prof R Nagarajan, Dean (International and Alumni Relations), IIT Madras, said “Alumni such as MrSanyal have been instrumental in shaping the best-of-breed entrepreneurial ecosystem that thrives in Silicon Valley. IITs have benefited as well from the branding and networking opportunities.”

Date: 6th February 2018 Publication: The Times of India Edition: Chennai Page no.: Journalist: NA Alumni: Mr. MonishiSanyal Headline: IIT Madras alumnus launches non-profit accelerator in US

Date: 7th February 2018 Publication: The Pioneer Edition: Delhi Page no.: 13 Journalist: NA Alumni: Mr. MonishiSanyal Headline: IIT Startups URL: http://www.dailypioneer.com/avenues/iit-startups.html

Date: 6th February 2018 Publication: The Indian Express Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof. R. Nagarajan Alumni: Mr. MonishiSanyal Headline: IIT Madras alumnus launches accelerator ‘IIT Startups’ in US URL: http://indianexpress.com/article/jobs/iit-alumnus-launches-accelerator-to-help-iit-startups-in- us-5053260/

IIT Madras alumnus launches accelerator ‘IIT Startups’ in US

IIT Madras alumnus: With the objective of motivating and supporting the budding entrepreneurs, an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras alumnus has launched a non-profit accelerator at the Bay Area in San Francisco, America. The initiative will also help to connect the IIT alumni at the Silicon valley in America. Called ‘IIT Startups,’ the accelerator has been founded by MonishiSanyal, a B Tech graduate from IIT Madras and the Governor’s Gold medal Recipient in 1970, an IIT Madras release here said today. Launched at the Computer History Museum, at California, over 400 IIT startups, angels, venture capitals and mentors attended the event. Talking about the reason behind launching the accelerator, Sanyal said, “This is the first step in our journey to build a world class accelerator. Our next steps are to run workshops, provide mentorship, incubation and connectivity to the 11,000 plus IIT community, advisors, angels and VCs in the Silicon Valley.”

He added that although the IITiians were very strong technically, their major weaknesses were in fund raising and business development. They have plans to expand the operations by collaborating with the IIT research parks in India in 2019, he said.

Dean (International and Alumni Relations), IIT Madras, Prof R Nagarajan, said, “Alumni such as Sanyal have been instrumental in shaping the best-of-breed entrepreneurial ecosystem that thrives in Silicon Valley. IITs have benefited as well from the branding and networking opportunities.” Date: 7th February 2018 Publication: Skill Outlook Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof. R. Nagarajan Alumni: Mr. MonishiSanyal Headline: IIT Madras Alumnus launches a non-profit Accelerator to help IIT startups in Bay Area URL: http://skilloutlook.com/education/iit-madras-alumnus-launches-non-profit-accelerator-help-iit- startups-bay-area

IIT Madras Alumnus launches a non-profit Accelerator to help IIT startups in Bay Area

Chennai, 06 February 2018: An Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT) alumnus has launched a non-profit Accelerator in the Bay Area (San Francisco, US) to provide mentorship, incubation and other necessary support to the budding entrepreneurs and to connect the IIT Alumni in the Silicon Valley. Called ‘IIT STARTUPS,’ the accelerator has been founded by Mr. MonishiSanyal, B.Tech (Mechanical) graduate from IIT Madras and the Governor’s Gold medal Recipient in 1970. It was recently launched at the Computer History Museum, Mountain View, California. The event was attended by over 400 IIT Startups, Angels, Venture Capitals and Mentors.

Speaking about the objectives behind launching this Accelerator, Mr. Monishi Sanyal said, “This is the first step in our journey to build a World Class Accelerator. Our next steps are to run Workshops, provide Mentorship, Incubation and connectivity to the 11,000+ IIT Community, Advisors, Angels and VCs in the Silicon Valley.”

While the IITiians were very strong technically, their major weaknesses were in Fund Raising and Business Development. He added that in 2019 the plan is to expand the operations by collaborating with the IIT Research Parks in India.

Mr. Monishi Sanyal is also the founder Pan IIT Alumni Association in the U.S., which has over 45,000 members and was the Past President of IIT Madras Alumni Association of North America (IITMAANA), the umbrella organization of all IITM alumni in the USA. He is also an Advisor and Member of the IIT Madras Research Park.

Those who spoke on the occasion included Mr. Vinod Khosla, Founder of Sun Microsystems and Khosla Ventures, and Mr. Umang Gupta, Founder of Gupta Technologies. A panel discussion followed with the current generation of Unicorns, Mr. Dheeraj Pandey, Founder of Nutanix and Mr. Bipul Sinha, Founder of Rubriks, which was moderated by Mr. Ravi Mhatre, Founding Partner, Lightspeed Ventures. Mr. Aman Walia, President of IIT Bay Area under whose umbrella the event was organized proposed a vote of thanks. Date: 7th February 2018 Publication: Kalvimalar Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof. R. Nagarajan Alumni: Mr. MonishiSanyal Headline: IIT alumnus launches accelerator to help IIT startups in US URL: http://kalvimalar.dinamalar.com/news-details.asp?id=27175&cat=1

IIT alumnus launches accelerator to help IIT startups in US

Chennai: An Indian Institute of Technology Madras alumnus has launched a non-profit accelerator at the Bay Area in San Francisco, America.

The initiative is to provide mentorship, incubation and other necessary support to the budding entrepreneurs and to connect the IIT alumni at the Silicon valley in America.

Called 'IIT Startups,' the accelerator has been founded by MonishiSanyal, a B Tech graduate from IIT Madras and the Governor’s Gold medal Recipient in 1970, an IIT Madras release here said today.

It was recently launched at the Computer History Museum, at California. The event was attended by over 400 IIT Startups, Angels, Venture Capitals and Mentors.

Speaking about the objectives behind launching the accelerator, Sanyal said, "This is the first step in our journey to build a world class accelerator. Our next steps are to run workshops, provide mentorship, incubation and connectivity to the 11,000 plus IIT Community, Advisors, Angels and VCs in the Silicon Valley."

While the IITiians were very strong technically, their major weaknesses were in fund raising and business development, he said.

In 2019, the plan is to expand the operations by collaborating with the IIT research parks in India, he added.

On the initiative, Dean (International and Alumni Relations), IIT Madras, Prof R Nagarajan, said, "Alumni such as Sanyal have been instrumental in shaping the best-of-breed entrepreneurial ecosystem that thrives in Silicon Valley. IITs have benefited as well from the branding and networking opportunities."

Date: 8th February 2018 Publication: BL on Campus Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof R Nagarajan Alumni: Mr. MonishiSanyal Headline: IIT-M alumnus launches non-profit accelerator URL: http://www.bloncampus.com/news-wrap/iitm-alumnus-launches-nonprofit- accelerator/article10067627.ece

IIT-M alumnus launches non-profit accelerator

It aims to provide mentoring, incubation, connectivity to IIT community in Silicon Valley

An Indian Institute of Technology, Madras alumnus has launched a non-profit accelerator in the Bay Area (San Francisco, US) to provide mentorship, incubation and other necessary support to the budding entrepreneurs and to connect the IIT Alumni in the Silicon Valley.

Called ‘IIT STARTUPS,’ the accelerator has been founded by MonishiSanyal, a BTech (mechanical) graduate from IIT-M and the Governor’s Gold medal recipient in 1970. The launch, that was held at the Computer History Museum, Mountain View, California was attended by over 400 IIT start-ups, angels, venture capitals and mentors.

Speaking about the objective of thisaccelerator, Sanyal said, “This is the first step in our journey to build a world class accelerator. Our next steps are to run workshops, provide mentorship, incubation and connectivity to the 11,000-plus IIT community, advisors, angels and VCs in the Silicon Valley.”

While the IITians are very strong technically, their major weaknesses are in fundraising and business development. In 2019, the founder plans to expand the operations by collaborating with the IIT research parks in India.

Speaking about the initiative, Prof R Nagarajan, Dean (International and Alumni Relations), IIT-M said, “Alumni such as Sanyal have been instrumental in shaping the best-of-breed entrepreneurial ecosystem that thrives in the Silicon Valley. IITs have benefited as well from the branding and networking opportunities.”

MonishiSanyal is also the founder of Pan IIT Alumni Association in the US, which has over 45,000 members, and was the past president of IIT Madras Alumni Association of North America (IITMAANA), the umbrella organisation of all IIT-M alumni in the US. He is also an advisor and member of the IIT Madras Research Park.

IITs are currently ranked fourth after Stanford University, Harvard University and the University of California, Berkeley in unicorn start-ups (valuation over $1 billion). “The IIT STARTUPS Accelerators will address a long felt need, which will help IITians surge to greater heights,” said Sanyal. Others who spoke on the occasion included VinodKhosla, founder of Sun Microsystems and Khosla Ventures, and Umang Gupta, founder of Gupta Technologies. A panel discussion followed with the current generation of Unicorns, DheerajPandey, founder of Nutanix and BipulSinha, founder of Rubriks. It was moderated by Ravi Mhatre, founding partner of Lightspeed Ventures. AmanWalia, president of IIT Bay Area under whose umbrella the event was organised, proposed the vote of thanks.

Date: 8th February 2018 Publication: Business Standard Edition: Pune/Ahmedabad/Kochi Page no.: 18 Journalist: GireeshanBabu Headline: Make IITs, IIMs join forces to build start-ups, say experts URL: http://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/how-to-build-a-winning-start-up-make- iits-iims-join-forces-say-experts-118020700201_1.html

Date: 9th February 2018 Publication: DD Podhigai Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof. Bhaskar Ramamurthi Headline: Carbon Zero Challenge

Date: 10th February 2018 Publication: The New Indian Express Edition: Chennai Page no.: 2 Journalist: NA Headline: Tamil Nadu set to harness more renewable energy URL: http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil-nadu/2018/feb/10/tamil-nadu-set-to- harness-more-renewable-energy-1771140.html

Date: 10th February 2018 Publication: The New Indian Express Edition: Chennai Page no.: 3 Journalist: S V Krishna Chaitanya Headline: Young startup brings vertical farming to your doorstep URL: http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/2018/feb/10/young-startup-brings-vertical- farming-to-your-doorstep-1771141.html

Date: 10th February 2018 Publication: The Times of India Edition: Chennai Page no.: 5 Journalist: NA Headline: Start-up makes vertical farming appliance to grow organic veggies

Date: 10th February 2018 Publication: Dinathanthi Edition: Chennai Page no.: 8 Journalist: Benny Professor: Prof Bhaskar Ramamurthi Headline: Environment friendly Technologies demonstrated at contest held at IIT Madras

Date: 10th February 2018 Publication: The Financial Express Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: Big achievement! These 2 teams of IIT Madras made institute proud, bagged top honours in this big challenge URL: http://www.financialexpress.com/education-2/big-achievement-these-2-teams-of-iit-madras- made-institute-proud-bagged-top-honours-in-this-big-challenge/1060148/

Big achievement! These 2 teams of IIT Madras made institute proud, bagged top honours in this big challenge

It’s a big achievement for IIT Madras as the two teams of this prestigious institute have bagged two of the top five honours in Carbon Zero Challenge. It was a pioneering initiative to identify innovative and indigenous solutions to India’s unique energy problems. The finale of Carbon Zero – Renewable Energy Innovation Challenge (CZeroC) was hosted on Friday by the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras). The program was conducted jointly with Industrial Waste Management Association (IWMA), U.S. Consulate in Chennai and Polaris, a Virtusa Company. Basically, the Carbon Zero Challenge challenge aims to encourage technological innovations among college students and early startups. IIT Madras bagged honours in Innovative Building and Cooling Systems and Enviro.Here are the winners which were announced during the Grand Finale in the presence of a host of industry experts and dignitaries:-

The projects that won the Innovation Excellence Awards with Funding for Incubation Support are:- a) Innovative Building and Cooling Systems – Student team from IIT Madras. b) Enviro – Student team from IIT Madras. c) Turbo T – Student team from DayanandaSagar College of Engineering, Bengaluru. Moreover, two other teams won the Innovation Excellence Awards but without funding support:- d) Blue Wave – Startup from Bengaluru e) Ozone – Student team from Kongu Engineering College, Erode.

The challenge was a contest with the objective being to identify innovative and indigenous technological solutions to India’s unique energy problems and nurture them to reach a stage of market scalability. Moreover, the larger goal was to foster a sustainable ecosystem wherein renewable energy and clean technology ideas can emerge and develop into long-term solutions.

Date: 10th February 2018 Publication: Skill Outlook Edition: Outlook Journalist: NA Professor: Prof Bhaskar Ramamurthi & Prof. IndumathiNambi Headline: IIT Madras teams bag two of the top five honours in Carbon Zero Challenge URL: http://skilloutlook.com/education/iit-madras-teams-bag-two-top-five-honours-carbon-zero- challenge

IIT Madras teams bag two of the top five honours in Carbon Zero Challenge

Chennai, 09 February 2018: The finale of Carbon Zero – Renewable Energy Innovation Challenge (CZeroC) was hosted today, 9 February 2018, by the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras). This South-India level event was conducted jointly with Industrial Waste Management Association (IWMA), U.S. Consulate in Chennai and Polaris, a Virtusa Company. The challenge aims to encourage technological innovations among college students and early startups. The winners were announced during the Grand Finale in the presence of a host of industry experts and dignitaries.

The projects that won the Innovation Excellence Awards with Funding for Incubation Support are: AD a) Innovative Building and Cooling Systems – Student team from IIT Madras. b) Enviro – Student team from IIT Madras. c) Turbo T – Student team from DayanandaSagar College of Engineering, Bengaluru. Moreover, two other teams won the Innovation Excellence Awards but without funding support: d) Blue Wave – Startup from Bengaluru e) Ozone – Student team from Kongu Engineering College, Erode.

MrVikramKapur, IAS, Principal Secretary to TN Government, Energy Department, was wad chief guest for the prize distribution said, “It is indeed a pioneering exercise undertaken by IIT Madras and others to encourage so many of you to spend time in developing projects in an era where energy is in the forefront and has undergone rapid transformation. The Government of India has announced ambitious plans to encourage the use of renewable energy. My best wishes to the teams who have participated in this challenge. I hope this contest sets a path for new breed of entrepreneurs.”

Mr. VikramKapur and other dignitaries interacted with the college students and startups who had qualified for the finals. The teams demonstrated their products to the dignitaries.

The challenge is a one-of-its-kind contest with the objective being to identify innovative and indigenous technological solutions to India’s unique energy problems and nurture them to reach a stage of market scalability. The larger goal was to foster a sustainable ecosystem wherein renewable energy and clean technology ideas can emerge and develop into long-term solutions.

Speaking about the Challenge, Mr. Robert G Burgess, U.S. Consul General, Chennai, said, “The U.S. Consulate is a strong supporter of innovation and entrepreneurship, which drive economic growth, improve quality of our daily lives and give us tools to address our shared challenges. As you launch your career, remember that innovation and social change go hand-in-hand. Your creativity and technical skills will benefit your community, your country and the world in the years ahead.”

An Expert panel of Screening Committee from the renewable energy and clean technology fields, evaluated the initial set of applications and the Top 54 Teams were shortlisted for Interviews. The shortlisted 54 teams pitched their project ideas to a Panel of Expert Jury on July 18, 2017. From this, a total of 25 teams were selected to go to the next phase of CZeroC

Presiding over the function, Prof Bhaskar Ramamurthi, Director, IIT Madras, said, “IIT Madras is delighted to be associated with Carbon Zero Challenge. We’re very impressed with the number of submissions as well as the shortlisted teams. The area of energy is very important for the world, particularly India. New ideas that will help us to move to a greener and cleaner world are the need of the hour. We hope that this kind of effort will continue for many years and IIT Madras would be happy to be associated with it.”

Launched on 9thMarch 2017, this South India Renewable Energy Innovation Contest attracted teams comprising students/early entrepreneurs and/or startups belonging to these five states and/or UTs – Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Puducherry.

The name ‘Carbon Zero’ signifies the collective humanitarian goal of reducing dependence on Carbon-based Fossil fuels, and minimizing Greenhouse gas emissions. Seeking out innovative low carbon energy solutions is a small step towards achieving this grand objective. CZeroC contest invited applications from college students and early-stage startups from the South Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Puducherry and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

According to Mr. Kris Canekeratne, Chairman & CEO – Virtusa Corporation, “Congratulations to the winners and to every team that participated in the Carbon Zero Challenge – I am confident that the technological concepts showcased today will be part of our environmental culture in the very near future. At Virtusa, we use our technology expertise to help reduce the environmental footprint, demonstrate ethical maturity and respect for all. As such, we are delighted to partner with IIT Madras and the US Consulate General in Chennai in the Carbon Zero Challenge, aimed at identifying and promoting innovative solutions to India’s unique sustainable energy opportunities. We look forward to continuing this collaboration with IIT Madras in the years ahead.”

Apart from funding support of the order of Rs 5 lakh per team provided to build prototypes, the winning teams will continue to be provided Mentorship by experts from both India and the U.S., business Incubation opportunities besides the Rewards and Recognition.

Prof Ashok Jhunjhunwala, Principal Adviser, Ministry of Railways, Govt of India and Prof of IIT Madras, said, “A fossil-free future, which is the aim of CZeroC, is important for Earth to survive. The only way we can achieve this is by innovation and figure out new ways of generating and using energy such that carbon emissions become zero. This competition will help us take a few steps in that direction”

Prof. IndumathiNambi, Department of Civil Engineering and Head of Environmental and Water Resources Division, IIT Madras, coordinated the Carbon Zero Challenge.

Date: 12th February 2018 Publication: The Times of India- Education Times Edition: Delhi Page no.: 2 Journalist: NA Alumni: Mr. MonishiSanyal Headline: Startup accelerators

Date: 12th February 2018 Publication: The Financial Express Edition: Delhi/Mumbai/Pune/Bangalore/Hyderabad/Chennai/Kolkata/Kochi/Ahmedabad Page no.: 12 Journalist: NA Headline: IIT Madras bags wins in carbon challenge

Date: 13th February 2018 Publication: Business Standard Edition: Pune/Ahmedabad Page no.: 16 Journalist: T E Narasimhan Professor: Prof M.Manivannan Headline: IIT-M develops algorithm for health device URL: http://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/iit-m-develops-algorithm-for-first- indian-wearable-health-monitoring-device-118021201076_1.html

Date: 13th February 2018 Publication: Deccan Chronicle Edition: Chennai Page no.: 2 Journalist: NA Professor: Prof M.Manivannan Headline: IIT-Madras develops indigenous health monitoring device URL: https://www.deccanchronicle.com/lifestyle/health-and-wellbeing/130218/iit-madras- develops-indigenous-health-monitoring-device.html

Date: 13th February 2018 Publication: The Times of India Edition: Chennai Page no.: 5 Journalist: NA Professor: Prof M.Manivannan Headline: IIT-M team develops algorithm for health monitoring device URL: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/iit-m-develops-algorithm-for-non-invasive- health-monitoring/articleshow/62892788.cms

Date: 13th February 2018 Publication: DT Next Edition: Chennai Page no.: 4 Journalist: NA Professor: Prof M.Manivannan Headline: IIT-M develops nation’s 1st health monitoring wearable device URL: https://www.dtnext.in/News/City/2018/02/13094601/1061767/IIT-Madras-develops-nations- 1st-health-monitoring-.vpf?TId=112132

Date: 13th February 2018 Publication: The Financial Express Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof M.Manivannan Headline: IIT Madras creates history! India’s 1st health monitoring wearable device is here URL: http://www.financialexpress.com/industry/iit-madras-creates-history-indias-1st-health- monitoring-wearable-device-is-here/1063265/

IIT Madras creates history! India’s 1st health monitoring wearable device is here

It’s yet another feather in the cap of IIT Madras! Prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras has created a history by developing the algorithm for the country’s first medical-grade, wearable device with algorithms for deriving vitals in a non-invasive manner. This device is called VinCense, and it is loaded with algorithms to derive vitals non-invasively and unobtrusive monitoring for effective healthcare delivery.

What is Vin Cense?

VinCense has been developed jointly with MedIoTek Health Systems which works on mobile health technology.

The device was developed by a team led by Prof M. Manivannan, Head of Touch Lab, Biomedical Engineering Group, Department of Applied Mechanics, IIT Madras.

It can be used for unobtrusive monitoring. Vital signs including pulse-rate, oxygen saturation, respiratory rate, skin temperature, blood pressure and others are duly recorded through this device. The real-time data are stored in the patent-pending secured cloud from where healthcare providers can access vitals using an intuitive interface. VinCense can be deployed for Home Healthcare delivery, Insurance/Analytics and Corporate/ Industrial Occupational Health Screening. It also has applications for Non-Communicable Diseases Screening and Surveillance, general Public health, and Community Health.

Speaking about VinCense, Prof M.Manivannan said that his team is developing algorithms that provide more accurate vitals from the wearable device.

SharmilaDevadoss, Managing Director of MedIoTek Health Systems, said, “We are extremely excited about our collaboration with IITM to translate crucial research into products that will impact community health and wellness in a transformational way.”

Date: 13th February 2018 Publication: Web India 123 Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof M.Manivannan Headline: IIT-M develops algorithm for India's first Health monitoring wearable device URL: https://news.webindia123.com/news/Articles/India/20180212/3274650.html

IIT-M develops algorithm for India's first Health monitoring wearable device

Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-M) has developed the algorithm for the country's first medical-grade, wearable device with algorithms for deriving vitals in a non-invasive manner, called "VinCense."Developed jointly with MedIoTek Health Systems, which works on mobile health technology, VinCense could be used for unobtrusive monitoring. Vital signs including, pulse rate, oxygen saturation, respiratory rate, skin temperature, blood pressure and others were duly recorded through this device. ''The real-time data are stored in the patent-pending secured cloud from where healthcare providers can access vitals using an intuitive interface'', an IIT-M release on Monday said.

VinCense could be deployed for Home Healthcare delivery, Insurance/Analytics and Corporate/Industrial Occupational Health Screening. It also has applications for Non-Communicable Diseases Screening and Surveillance, general Public health, and Community Health.

The device was developed by a team led by Prof M Manivannan, Head of Touch Lab, Biomedical Engineering Group, Department of Applied Mechanics, IIT-M. MORE UNI GV CS 1714-- (UNI) -- C-1-1- DL0275-1247163.Xml

Date: 13th February 2018 Publication: Luxora Leader Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof M.Manivannan Headline: IIT-M develops algorithm for first Indian wearable well being monitoring gadget URL: https://luxoraleader.com/iit-m-develops-algorithm-for-first-indian-wearable-health- monitoring-device/714995/

IIT-M develops algorithm for first Indian wearable well being monitoring gadget

What is Vin Cense?

VinCense has been developed jointly with MedIoTek Health Systems which works on mobile health technology.

The device was developed by a team led by Prof M. Manivannan, Head of Touch Lab, Biomedical Engineering Group, Department of Applied Mechanics, IIT Madras.

Date: 13th February 2018 Publication: India Education Diary Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof M.Manivannan Headline: IIT Madras develops algorithm for India’s first Health monitoring wearable device URL: https://indiaeducationdiary.in/iit-madras-develops-algorithm-indias-first-health-monitoring- wearable-device/

IIT Madras develops algorithm for India’s first Health monitoring wearable device

Chennai: Indian Institute of Technology Madras has developed the algorithm for the country’s first medical-grade, wearable device with algorithms for deriving vitals in a non-invasive manner, called “VinCense.”

VinCense can be deployed for Home Healthcare delivery, Insurance/Analytics and Corporate/ Industrial Occupational Health Screening. It also has applications for Non-Communicable Diseases Screening and Surveillance, general Public health, and Community Health.

Health screening and monitoring towards preventive and curative care are becoming easier using technologies including from Virtual Reality, Gaming, data-sciences and Internet of Medical Things (IoMT). Sophisticated algorithms combined with latest technologies for accurately deriving vital parameters at an affordable cost is the need of the hour.

Ms. SharmilaDevadoss, Managing Director of MedIoTek Health Systems, said, “We are extremely excited about our collaboration with IITM to translate crucial research into products that will impact community health and wellness in a transformational way”. Few applications to mention are close monitoring of high dependency patients – post-op, rehab, step down, vulnerable, tracking just discharged patients, tracking patients in the ambulance. This collaboration between academia and industry can lead to making India the Global Wellness-care Hub, not just Global Healthcare Hub.

Date: 13th February 2018 Publication: UNI Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof M.Manivannan Headline: IIT-M develops algorithm for India's first Health monitoring wearable device URL: http://www.uniindia.com/iit-m-develops-algorithm-for-india-s-first-health-monitoring- wearable-device/states/news/1135970.html

IIT-M develops algorithm for India's first Health monitoring wearable device

Chennai, Feb 12 (UNI) Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-M) has developed the algorithm for the country's first medical-grade, wearable device with algorithms for deriving vitals in a non- invasive manner, called “VinCense.” Developed jointly with MedIoTek Health Systems, which works on mobile health technology, VinCense could be used for unobtrusive monitoring. Vital signs including, pulse rate, oxygen saturation, respiratory rate, skin temperature, blood pressure and others were duly recorded through this device. ''The real-time data are stored in the patent-pending secured cloud from where healthcare providers can access vitals using an intuitive interface'', an IIT-M release on Monday said. VinCense could be deployed for Home Healthcare delivery, Insurance/Analytics and Corporate/Industrial Occupational Health Screening. It also has applications for Non-Communicable Diseases Screening and Surveillance, general Public health, and Community Health. The device was developed by a team led by Prof M Manivannan, Head of Touch Lab, Biomedical Engineering Group, Department of Applied Mechanics, IIT-M. MORE UNI GV CS 1714

Date: 13th February 2018 Publication: Kalpan Herald Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof M.Manivannan Headline: IIT-M develops algorithm for first Indian wearable well being monitoring gadget URL: https://kaplanherald.com/2018/02/12/iit-m-develops-algorithm-for-first-indian-wearable-wellbeing-monitoring-gadget/

IIT-M develops algorithm for first Indian wearable well being monitoring gadget

The Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-Madras) has developed an algorithm, VinCense, which it claims is designed for the country's first for deriving vitals in a non-invasive manner. The device was developed by a team led by Prof M Manivannan, Head of Touch Lab, Biomedical Engineering Group, Department of Applied Mechanics,Manivannan said that his team developed for the device provides more accurate vitals. Vital signs such as pulse rate, oxygen saturation, respiratory rate, and are duly recorded on this device. The real-time data is stored in the patent- pending secured device from where health care providers can access vitals using an intuitive interface. can be deployed for home health care delivery, insurance/analytics and corporate and industrial occupational health screening.

It also has applications for screening and surveillance, general public health, and community health. With a strong focus on preventive health, India has the potential to become a global healthcare hub. At only a fraction of the NIH budget, India can double the efficiency in delivering healthcare services to its population, Manivannan said. MedIoTek has been working on this wearable platform for the past four years and the Touch Laboratory at has been working on medical simulation technologies providing haptic feedback for the past 13 years. This collaboration would lead to further algorithms for medical simulation applied to wireless health monitoring systems. The outcome of this collaboration could lead to early intervention, reducing risks and complications and improving clinical outcomes.

Date: 13th February 2018 Publication: Press KS Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof M.Manivannan Headline: IIT Madras Developed VinCense : A Device for Health Monitoring URL: http://pressks.com/medical/iit-madras-developed-vincense-device-health-monitoring/58084/

IIT Madras Developed VinCense : A Device for Health Monitoring

IIT Madras Developed VinCense: The students at IIT Madras has developed a device which monitors the health. The device is being called as VinCense which is the first indigenous health monitoring and wearable device for deriving vitals in a non-invasive manner. This is a breakthrough in the medical history with the device catches up all the simple issues within no time.

According to the reports from DC, The device jointly developed by MedloTeK Health Systems and IIT Madras can be used for monitoring vital signs including pulse rate, oxygen saturation, respiratory rate and blood pressure. The real-time data are stored in the secured cloud from where healthcare providers can access vitals using an intuitive interface.

The device was developed by a team led by Prof M Manivannan, Head of Touch Lab, Biomedical Engineering Group, Department of Applied Mechanics,Manivannan said that his team developed for the device provides more accurate vitals. “There are many health monitoring wearable devices are currently available in the market. But, their accuracy is not very good.

We have developed algorithms to provide the accurate reading,” said Professor M.Manivannan, Head of Touch Lab, Biomedical Engineering Group, Department of Applied Mechanics, IIT Madras. Vital signs such as pulse rate, oxygen saturation, respiratory rate, and are duly recorded on this device. It also has applications for screening and surveillance, general public health, and community health.

Date: 13th February 2018 Publication: BioSpectrum Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: IIT researchers develop non-invasive health monitoring device URL: https://www.biospectrumindia.com/news/58/10386/iit-researchers-develop-non-invasive- health-monitoring-device.html

IIT researchers develop non-invasive health monitoring devic

VinCense can also be deployed for home healthcare delivery, insurance, analytics and occupational health screening.A group of engineers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras, has developed the algorithm for a medical-grade, wearable device called VinCense. The device can be used for unobtrusive monitoring of vital signs including pulse-rate, oxygen saturation, respiratory rate, skin temperature and blood pressure.

VinCense can also be deployed for home healthcare delivery, insurance, analytics and occupational health screening. It also has applications in non-communicable diseases screening, general public health and community health. The real-time data recorded by the device is stored in the patent- pending secured cloud from where healthcare providers can access vitals using an intuitive interface.

VinCense was developed by a team of researchers at the Biomedical Engineering Group, Department of Applied Mechanics, IIT-Madras, along with MedIoTek Health Systems which works on mobile health technology. The research team is developing algorithms that provide more accurate vitals from the wearable device which IIT-M claimed is the first of its kind in the country.

Date: 13th February 2018 Publication: News 7 Tamil Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof M.Manivannan Headline: IIT-Madras develops indigenous health monitoring device URL: http://ns7.tv/ta/tamil-news/tamilnadu/12/2/2018/iit-madras-creates-history- india%E2%80%99s-1st-health-monitoring-wearable

மருத்鏁வத்鏁றையில்முக்垿யசாதனத்றதஉருவாக்垿ஐஐடிமம翍ராஸ்சாதறன!

மதிப்புமிக்ககல்ힿநிறுவனமானஐஐடிமம翍ராஸ்நா翍டின்முதல்அணிந்鏁மகாள்쿁ம்ힿதமானஉடல்சசாத றனகருힿக்கானஆல்கரிதத்றத (Algorithm) உருவாக்垿சாதறனபறடத்鏁ள்ள鏁.Vin cense என்ைகருힿஇதற்காகஉருவாக்கப்ப翍翁ள்ள鏁.

Vin cense என்ைால்என்ன?

மமொபைல்மருத்துவம ொழில்நுட்ைங்களில்கவனம்மெலுத்திவரும்MedIoTek Health Systems என்றநிறுவனத்துடன்இபைந்துஐஐடிமமட்ரொஸ்கல்விநிறுவனத்தின்அப்பைடுமமக்கொனிக்ஸின்ைய ொ மமடிக்கல்எஞ்殿னி ரிங்பிரிவின் Touch lab பிரிவின் பைபமவ垿க்埁ம்விரிவுபர ொைர்மணிவன்னண் பைபமயிைொன埁ழுஇந் ெொனத்பொரித் துள்ைது.

இக்கருவிநமதுஉடலின்ைல்ஸ்யரட், ஆக்垿ஜன்அைவு, 毁வொெவி垿 ,ம் ய ொலின்மவப்ைநிபை, ரத் அழுத் ம்மற்றும்இ ரமுக்垿 உடல்நிபைம ொடர்ைொனஅைퟀடுகபைைதிவுமெய்துயெமித்துபவத்துக் மகொள்垿றது.

இந் அதிமுக்垿 த் கவல்கள்ைொதுகொக்கப்ைட்டஇபை யமகங்களில் (Cloud) யெமித்துபவக்கப்ைடு垿ன்றன.மருத்துவயெபவஅளிப்யைொர்இந் கவல்கபைஅணு垿மைற்றுக்மகொள்ளும் வெதியிபனஇந் கருவிநமக்埁அளிக்垿ன்றது.

இ ன்믂ைம்யநொய்கண்டறி ல், உடல்நிபைைரியெொ, பன மைொதுஉடல்நைம்ஆ垿 பவயுடன்ெ믂கஆயரொக்垿 மும்யைணும்வெதிகள்ெொத்தி ப்ைடு垿ன்றன.

இதும ொடர்ைொகMedIoTek Health Systems-ம்நிர்வொகஇ க்埁நர்ெர்மிைொயபகயில் வொஸ்கூறு , ஐஐடிமமட்ரொஸுடன்இபைந்துெ믂கஆயரொக்垿 ம்யைணும்வபகயிைொனமருத்துவத்துபறக்埁உ வும்கரு விகபைஆரொய்ச்殿மெய்துஉருவொக்埁ம்மு ற்殿யில்இறங்垿யுள்ைதுஉற்ெொகத்ப ருவொக埁றிப்பிட்டொர்.

Date: 13th February 2018 Publication: The Hindu Edition: Chennai Page no.: 2 Journalist: Sangeetha Kandavel& Sanjay Vijayakumar Professor: Prof. DevendraJalihal Alumni: Swapnil Jain Headline: Time Tamil Nadu kick-starts policy on electric vehicles URL: http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/time-tamil-nadu-kick-starts-policy-on-electric- vehicles/article22735634.ece

Date: 13th February 2018 Publication: The Times of India Edition: Online Journalist: Vinayashree J Professor: Prof. Ashok Jhunjhunwala Headline: IIT-Madras professor Ashok Jhunjhunwala elected as member of US-based NAE URL: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/iit-madras-professor-ashok-jhunjhunwala- elected-as-member-of-us-based-nae/articleshow/62888511.cms

IIT-Madras professor Ashok Jhunjhunwala elected as member of US-based NAE

CHENNAI: IIT-Madras professor Ashok Jhunjhunwala, who is also the principal advisor to railway ministry, has been elected as a member to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), US. He is among the newly elected 83 members and 16 foreign members.

Jhunjhunwala is a professor in the department of electrical engineering at IIT-Madras.

The NAE is a private, independent, non-profit institution that provides engineering leadership.

Academy membership honours those who have made outstanding contributions to engineering research, practice and education, including significant contributions to engineering literature and to "the pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of engineering, or developing/implementing innovative approaches to engineering education."

Individuals in the newly elected class will be formally inducted during a ceremony at the NAE's annual meeting in Washington, DC, on September 30, 2018. This brings the total US membership to 2,293 and the number of foreign members to 262. Date: 13th February 2018 Publication: The Times of India Edition: Online Journalist: NA Alumni: Mr MonishiSanyal Headline: IIT Madras alumnus launches 'IIT Startups' in US URL: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/education/news/iit-madras-alumnus-launches-iit- startups-in-us/articleshow/62882436.cms

IIT Madras alumnus launches 'IIT Startups' in US

MonishiSanyal, an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras alumnus has launched a non-profit accelerator called 'IIT Startups' in the Bay Area (San Francisco, US).

Sanyal, a BTech (Mechanical) graduate from IIT Madras, 1970, believes that IIT graduates are technically sound but the lack of fundraising and business development has led to the IITs being restricted at the fourth position, after Stanford University, Harvard University and the University of California, Berkeley, in the Unicorn Startups (valuation of over $1 billion).

With his initiative, Sanyal aims to bridge the gap by providing mentorship and incubation to budding entrepreneurs, and connect the IIT Alumni in the Silicon Valley.0 "This is the first step in our journey. Our next initiative would be to run workshops, provide mentorship, incubation, and connectivity to the 11,000+ IIT communities, advisors, angels and VCs in the Silicon Valley," he said. Sanyal added that by 2019, the plan is to expand the operations by collaborating with the IIT Research Parks in India.

Date: 14th February 2018 Publication: The Hindu Business Line Edition: Chennai/Delhi/Mumbai/Pune/Bangalore/Hyderabad/Kolkata/Kochi/Ahmedabad Page no.: 15 Journalist: NA Professor: Prof M. Manivannan Headline: IIT Madras, MedIoTek develop device for measuring health vitals URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/iit-madras-mediotek-develop-device-for- measuring-health-vitals/article22744909.ece

Date: 22nd February 2018 Publication: Bizztor Edition: Online Journalist: NA Alumini: SatishKannan and EnbasekarDinadayalane Headline: How This Startup Making Specialist Doctors Accessible To People Across The Country URL: https://bizztor.com/in/docsapp-startup-story/

How This Startup Making Specialist Doctors Accessible To People Across The Country

DocsApp is a mobile app that allows people to consult specialist doctors from anywhere at anytime.

The app facilitates over 2000 consultations every day in 18+ specialties like Dermatology, Sexology, Haircare, Gynecology, Pediatrics, Sexology etc.

DocsApp has crossed over 2.5 million downloads on the PlayStore and has been declared as the medical app of the year, by Amazon in association with Facebook.

The founders SatishKannan and Enbasekar have been featured in the prestigious Forbes 30 under 30 list for their contribution to the healthcare sector.

In pic: SatishKannan and EnbasekarDinadayalane

SatishKannan and EnbasekarDinadayalane were batchmates studying electrical engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras from 2007 to 2012.

In an interaction with Bizztor Media, DocsApp Founder shares his journey with DocsApp and knowledge he gained in the startup.

What lead you to build DOCSAPP? How did the idea come up?

Before launching DocsApp, I was working with Philips Healthcare, doing Research and Development on large machines used by cardiologists and ortho specialist doctors for conducting surgeries. Enbasekar, my co-founder, was working with the IIT-MADRAS research park to develop to a technology to detect diabetic retinopathy.

We conceptualized the idea of DocsApp after realising that a majority of health issues that exist in the present day do not require a physical examination and can be diagnosed and treated online.

With such a unique and new concept, what difficulties and challenges did you encounter in the beginning?

During the first three months it was relatively easy to get doctors onboard, convincing patients to use the app was a tad difficult. However, we surpassed these challenges and we now have over 2.5 million users on the app.

How do you see healthcare sector evolving over time? What impact, will the government policies like National healthcare scheme have on the Sector?

The future of e-healthcare looks a lot like this, the out-patient consultations will and can happen online and the in-patient care will continue as it is, this makes health care easily accessible to all.

Infrastructure costs of offline medical care will be brought down drastically which will make consultations cheaper and doctors will also be able to serve patients beyond their geographical limits. As the access to high-speed internet increases video consultations would also become seamless and convenient.

The allocation for the health insurance sector in the Union Budget seems propitious. Statistics reveal that an alarming 7% of the population is pushed below the poverty line due to the direct consequence of an unseen medical emergency; Even with these alarming numbers, a mere 20% of the population is covered, either, by public or private insurance. Healthcare is one of the key factors responsible for throwing people into abject poverty and putting them in dire financial conditions.

It is critical and the country needs to act up on working towards the betterment of this particular arena.The National Health protection scheme, covering 10 crore families and providing Rs 5 lakh cover per family per year for the medical treatment, is a commendable effort to tackle this mammoth issue.

The revision in GST rate for private insurance is something we were looking forward, we hope this will be addressed in government’s public health insurance project.

What’s next for the company? What are DOCSAPP’S most immediate challenges and goals?

We witness over 2000+ consultations every day, we aim at changing the number to 10,000 consultations every day by the end of 2018.

We are on our journey to make world-class, high-quality healthcare accessible to the masses in the country by building technological solutions that can assist doctors in providing impeccable consultation.

Did the experience that you gained professionally in the medical field before launching this startup helped in making DocsApp what it is today? Enbasekar, my co-founder, and I spent years working in the field of healthcare – talking to doctors, patients and waiting in hospitals.

Working in the health tech industry enabled us to understand the space better. Also keenly looking for the problems that exist, understanding what kind of solutions get adopted, and why change is resisted helped us to understand the existing problems and also build solutions that work.

Date: 22nd February 2018 Publication: The New Indian Express Edition: Chennai Page No: 5 Journalist: NA Professor: Prof LS Ganesh Headline: Discussion for entrepreneurs

Date: 24th February 2018 Publication: The Economic Times Edition: Online Journalist: Anandi Chandrashekhar Professor: Prof Bhaskar Ramamurthi and Prof Andrew Thangaraj Headline: NPTEL, IIT Madras collaborate with Glass Academy Foundation URL: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/services/education/nptel-iit-madras- collaborate-with-glass-academy-foundation/articleshow/63045307.cms

CHENNAI: IIT Madras to provide content for course, which is first-of-its-kind to be offered as MOOCs in an open learning mode in India.

The National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL) has tied up with the glass Industry to reach out to upcoming architects and civil engineers to create awareness on efficient use of glass in the construction sector.

NPTEL in partnership with Indian Institute of Technology Madras, aims to take this course to 1,600 colleges and educational institutions in the country. NPTEL and IIT Madras, entered into an MoU with Glass Academy Foundation on 20th February 2018 signed by Bhaskar Ramamurthi, Director, IIT Madras, and C. N. Raghavendran, Chairman of Glass Academy Advisory Board.

Along with other IITs, IIT Madras will provide content for the course, which will be offered as a Massive Online Open Course, in a first of its kind initiative.

Andrew Thangaraj, NPTEL coordinator at IIT Madras, said, “Collaborating with the industry is the next step for NPTEL to bridge the gap between academia and industry and make college graduates more job ready.”

Date: 24th February 2018 Publication: DT Next Edition: Chennai Page No: 2 Journalist: NA Professor: Prof Bhaskar Ramamurthi and Prof Andrew Thangaraj Headline: IIT Madras signs MoU with NPTEL, glass industry URL: https://www.dtnext.in/News/City/2018/02/24002822/1062931/IIT-Madras-signs-MoU-with- NPTEL-glass-industry.vpf

Date: 24th February 2018 Publication: Tech Page Edition: Online Journalist:NA Professor:Prof Bhaskar Ramamurthi and Prof Andrew Thangaraj Headline: NPTEL ties up with Glass Industry to reach out to budding civil engineers, architects on efficient use of glass in Construction URL: https://www.techgape.com/2018/02/nptel-ties-up-with-glass-industry.html

NPTEL ties up with Glass Industry to reach out to budding civil engineers, architects on efficient use of glass in Construction

IIT Madras to provide content for course, which is first-of-its-kind to be offered as a MOOCs in an open learning mode in India.

NPTEL (National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning) is a joint initiative of the IITs and IISc. Through this initiative, we offer online courses and certification in various topics.

The National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL) has tied up with the glass Industry to reach out to budding architects and civil engineers with the objective of creating awareness on efficient use of glass in construction sector. Judicious and appropriate usage of glass is crucial to achieve energy efficiency in any building.

Being taken up with the involvement of Indian Institute of Technology Madras, NPTEL aims to take this course to 1,600 colleges and educational institutions in the country. The initiative will provide the industry perspective and practical use of glass in the market. The course taps into a niche area, uncommon in academic circles as in spite of advancements in ‘glass’ space, there are few, if any, formal academic courses that educate budding civil engineers and architects on efficient use of glass.

NPTEL, IIT Madras, entered into an MoU with Glass Academy Foundation on 20th February 2018. The MoU was signed by Prof Bhaskar Ramamurthi, Director, IIT Madras, and Padma Shree Awardee C. N. Raghavendran, Chairman of Glass Academy Advisory Board, in the presence of Prof R. Nagarajan, Dean (International and Alumni Relations), IIT Madras.

Along with other IITs, IIT Madras will provide content for this course, which will be first of its kind to be offered as a MOOCs in an open learning mode in India.

Speaking about the MoU, Prof. Andrew Thangaraj, NPTEL coordinator at IIT Madras, said, “Collaborating with the industry is the next step for NPTEL to bridge the gap between academia and industry and make college graduates more job ready.”

The first joint activity would be to co-offer an online certification courses in the July-Dec 2018 Semester, targeted towards Architecture and Civil Engineering students. The possibility of offering internships and job opportunities to top performers of the course(s) are also being actively explored.

Highlighting the importance of the tie-up, Mr. Raghavendran said, “Traditional materials have been the subject of study and training for decades. However, modern day glass as a material in construction is yet to become a subject of study and training in academic institutions. Our association with NPTEL will strengthen further by co-offering and co-certifying our courses as an elective to Architecture and Civil Engineering students.”

NPTEL is one of the most successful inter-institute collaborative educational efforts in India today. Funded by the MHRD, it has been offering Online Certification Courses since 2014. The current semester has 227 courses on offer with a learner enrolment base of over 9.8 lakh.

Glass Academy Foundation, a not-for-profit company, works to be an industry-professional- academia-interface to impart knowledge and skills amongst the various stakeholders in the glass eco-system.

NPTEL is trying to widen the breadth and variety of courses offered, where this will be the first step towards including industrial perspective and inputs along with academic content from faculty in the IITs.

NPTEL as a project originated from many deliberations between IITs, Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) during the years 1999-2003. A proposal was jointly put forward by five IITs (Bombay, Delhi, Kanpur, Kharagpur and Madras) and IISc for creating contents for 100 courses as web based supplements and 100 complete video courses, for forty hours of duration per course. Web supplements were expected to cover materials that could be delivered in approximately forty hours. Five engineering branches (Civil, Computer Science, Electrical, Electronics and Communication and Mechanical) and core science programmes that all engineering students are required to take in their undergraduate engineering programme in India were chosen initially. Contents for the above courses were based on the model curriculum suggested by All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and the syllabi of major affiliating Universities in India. Date: 24th February 2018 Publication: My Times Now Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof Bhaskar Ramamurthi and Prof Andrew Thangaraj Headline: NPTEL, IIT Madras collaborate with Glass Academy Foundation URL: http://www.mytimesnow.com/news/business/646655/nptel-iit-madras-collaborate-with-glass- academy-foundation

NPTEL, IIT Madras collaborate with Glass Academy Foundation

NPTEL in partnership with Indian Institute of Technology Madras, aims to take this course to 1,600 colleges and educational institutions in the country.

NPTEL as a project originated from many deliberations between IITs, Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) during the years 1999-2003. A proposal was jointly put forward by five IITs (Bombay, Delhi, Kanpur, Kharagpur and Madras) and IISc for creating contents for 100 courses as web based supplements and 100 complete video courses, for forty hours of duration per course. Web supplements were expected to cover materials that could be delivered in approximately forty hours. Five engineering branches (Civil, Computer Science, Electrical, Electronics and Communication and Mechanical) and core science programmes that all engineering students are required to take in their undergraduate engineering programme in India were chosen initially. Contents for the above courses were based on the model curriculum suggested by All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and the syllabi of major affiliating Universities in India. Date: 24th February 2018 Publication: UNI Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof Bhaskar Ramamurthi and Prof Andrew Thangaraj Headline: NPTEL ties up with Glass industry for budding architects, civil engrs, IIT-M to provide course content URL: http://www.uniindia.com/nptel-ties-up-with-glass-industry-for-budding-architects-civil-engrs- iit-m-to-provide-course-content/states/news/1148121.html

NPTEL ties up with Glass industry for budding architects, civil engrs, IIT-M to provide course content

Chennai, Feb 23 (UNI) The National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL) on Friday rpt Friday announced a tie up with the glass Industry to reach out to the budding architects and civil engineers with the objective of creating awareness on efficient use of glass in the construction sector. Judicious and appropriate usage of glass was crucial to achieve energy efficiency in any building.

An IIT-M release said the course taps into a niche area, uncommon in academic circles as in spite of advancements in ‘glass’ space, there were few, if any, formal academic courses that educate budding civil engineers and architects on efficient use of glass.

NPTEL and IIT-M signed a MoU with the Glass Academy Foundation for this purpose. The MoU was signed by IIT-M Director Prof Bhaskar Ramamurthi and Glass ACademy Advisory Board Chairman and Padma Shree C N Raghavendran. Along with other IITs, the IIT-M would provide content for this course, which would be first of its kind to be offered as a MOOCs in an open learning mode in India.

Date: 24th February 2018 Publication: Mbcet Edition: Online Journalist: NA Headline: NPTEL, IIT Madras collaborate with Glass Academy Foundation URL: https://mbcet.wordpress.com/2018/02/24/nptel-iit-madras-collaborate-with-glass-academy- foundation/

NPTEL, IIT Madras collaborate with Glass Academy Foundation

CHENNAI: IIT Madras to provide content for course, which is first-of-its-kind to be offered as a MOOCs in an open learning mode in India. The National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL) has tied up with the glass Industry to reach out to upcoming architects and civil engineers to create awareness on efficient use of glass in the construction sector. NPTEL in partnership with Indian Institute of Technology Madras, aims to take this course to 1,600 colleges and educational institutions in the country. NPTEL and IIT Madras, entered into an MoU with Glass Academy Foundation on 20th February 2018 signed by Bhaskar Ramamurthi, Director, IIT Madras, and C. N. Raghavendran, Chairman of Glass Academy Advisory Board. Along with other IITs, IIT Madras will provide content for the course, which will be offered as a Massive Online Open Course, in a first of its kind initiative. Andrew Thangaraj, NPTEL coordinator at IIT Madras, said, Collaborating with the industry is the next step for NPTEL to bridge the gap between academia and industry and make college graduates more job ready.

The first joint activity would be to co-offer online certification courses in the July-Dec 2018 Semester, targeted towards Architecture and Civil Engineering students. The possibility of offering internships and job opportunities to top performers of the course(s) are also being explored. The perfect home at the perfect price Radius Developers Senior citizen benefits in budget 2018 UTI Mutual Fund Recommended By Colombia Speaking on objective of the tie-up, CN Raghavendran said, Traditional materials have been the subject of study and training for decades. However, modern day glass as a material in construction is yet to become a subject of study and training in academic institutions. Our association with NPTEL will strengthen further by co-offering and co- certifying our courses as an elective to Architecture and Civil Engineering students. – Date: 24th February 2018 Publication: Web India Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof Bhaskar Ramamurthi and Prof Andrew Thangaraj Headline: NPTEL ties up with Glass industry for budding architects, civil engrs, IIT-M to provide course content URL: https://news.webindia123.com/news/Articles/India/20180223/3283799.html

NPTEL ties up with Glass industry for budding architects, civil engrs, IIT-M to provide course content

The National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL)on Saturday announced a tie up with the glass Industry to reach out to the budding architects and civil engineers with the objective of creating awareness on efficient use of glass in the construction sector. Judicious and appropriate usage of glass was crucial to achieve energy efficiency in any building.

Being taken up with the involvement of Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-M), NPTEL aims to take this course to 1,600 colleges and educational institutions in the country. The initiative would provide the industry perspective and practical use of glass in the market. An IIT-M release said the course taps into a niche area, uncommon in academic circles as in spite of advancements in 'glass' space, there were few, if any, formal academic courses that educate budding civil engineers and architects on efficient use of glass. NPTEL and IIT-M signed a MoU with the Glass Academy Foundation for this purpose. The MoU was signed by IIT-M Director Prof Bhaskar Ramamurthi and Glass ACademy Advisory Board Chairman and Padma Shree C N Raghavendran.

Along with other IITs, the IIT-M would provide content for this course, which would be first of its kind to be offered as a MOOCs in an open learning mode in India.

Date: 24th February 2018 Publication: Your Story Edition: Online Journalist: Alok Soni Professor: Prof Krishnan Balasubramanian Alumni: Daniel Raj David, Tarun Kumar Mishra, Harikrishnan AS and Karthik R Headline:Shell E4 programme launches its first cohort - 5 innovative start-ups poised to accelerate India’s transition to a sustainable future URL: https://yourstory.com/2018/02/shell-e4-programme-launches-first-cohort-startups/

Shell E4 programme launches its first cohort - 5 innovative start-ups poised to accelerate India’s transition to a sustainable future

Global energy leader, Shell has been at the forefront of finding innovative solutions to meet the world’s growing energy needs, driven by its core purpose of “Powering more and cleaner energy solutions - through our people, partnerships and innovations”. In September 2017, Shell in India launched the Shell E4 Start-up Hub which envisions to promote innovation and build partnerships by nurturing the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the country. After a rigorous selection process, five startups out of hundreds that applied, have been selected into the prestigious Shell E4 (Energizing and Enabling Energy Entrepreneurs) programme.

Bio The Shell E4 programme has been modelled after some of the most successful accelerator programmes in the world and is tailor-made to offer start-ups with everything they need to accelerate their business growth. As part of their induction into the programme, the start-ups will each receive US $20,000 as seed funding. In addition, they will have access to:

Use of state-of-the-art testing and prototyping laboratories in Shell, for product development and testing; Bootcamps aimed at customer discovery and improving the product offering; Top industry mentors and experts throughout the duration of the programme; New markets & regular interactions with the investor community, which is the first step to funding opportunities. During the Shell E4 programme the start-ups will be housed at a vibrant co-working space within Shell Technology Centre Bengaluru, which will provide them with round-the-clock proximity to Shell subject matter experts and advisors who can help them develop or refine their products. In addition, the start-ups will also have access to Shell’s large global partner network providing opportunities for niche networking at multiple energy focused events and engagements that have been planned as part of the curriculum.

At the end of the six-month programme, the cohort start-ups will have the opportunity to pitch to top investors from India and abroad as well as meet with an array of decision makers from the energy ecosystem, on Demo Day. After the cohort graduates, they will continue their relationship with the programme through the Shell E4 alumni network.

Here’s a quick look at the five startups selected for the first cohort of the Shell E4 programme.

Detect Technologies

This Chennai-based startup focuses on asset integrity management, especially in the conventional oil and gas industry, and has already built a unique, patented technology for pipeline condition monitoring in real-time, using a long-range ultrasonic sensor for temperatures of up to 350 degrees Celsius. This solution will help reduce massive productivity losses in case of a breach. Along with this, the company also provides Noctuan intelligent solution for structural health monitoring on hard-to- reach assets such as stacks, columns, pipe racks, vessels, tanks, boilers, chimneys etc. and has several Fortune 500 companies as their clients.

Founders Daniel Raj David, Tarun Kumar Mishra, Harikrishnan AS, Karthik R, are all IIT Madras alumni who, along with their Professor Krishnan Balasubramanian, bring a wealth of experience in research, management and execution for the company.

ION Energy

ION Energy is building cutting-edge energy storage systems and infrastructure for the adoption of high performance electric vehicles. ION has offices in Mumbai, USA and now France. ION leverages deep proprietary technology that merges their strengths in design, electro mechanics, battery management systems and software. Apart from deploying their own systems and infrastructure, ION will license a chemistry-agnostic and extensively cascadable architecture that enables rapid product development for customers that demand high quality battery systems.

IoTrek

IoTrek is developing technology solutions to make infrastructure and outdoor work-sites safe and smart, by using intelligent sensors, low power wireless networks and machine learning software.

Founded by IIT-Roorkee alumni Piyush Vishwakarma (CEO), Kamran Alam (CTO) and Prerak Ujgare (COO), IoTrek is building solutions such as a "connected workforce" for the construction industry. The startup is working closely with some large construction companies in the US and India to improve the safety as well as productivity of field sites. IoTrek has come up with ultra-low power tracking devices embedded with motion sensors to connect people and assets in real time over long- range wireless network infrastructure. It aims to save millions of dollars per year in operations for infrastructure companies by implementing various use cases on single network infrastructure.

Ossus Biorenewables

This Bengaluru-based startup is creating solutions for clean energy and recovery of green chemicals from waste water. They are focused on assetising waste water through, bH2 plus, a technology employing specially-designed microbial cell factories, for generating biohydrogen and metals from renewable feedstocks like industrial effluents, municipal sewage and polluted water bodies.

With the potential to be retro-fitted to storage tanks, effluent treatment plants or installed directly in-situ for the restoration of polluted rivers, lakes, and other bodies of water, this startup is creating an end-to-end green solution for valorising the utilisable energy present in waste water.

Founded by Dr. Suruchi Rao and Shanta Rao in 2017, Ossus Biorenewables is currently in the process of demonstrating the elemental capability of their technology for generating value from produced water, an effluent generated by upstream oil and gas companies.

Trashcon

Another Bengaluru-based startup, Trashcon, founded by Nivedha RM, has created Trashbot, an automated municipal solid waste segregator that separates municipal solid waste (MSW) into biodegradable, non-biodegradable, metals, and rejects components of mixed MSW mechanically. The segregator can process up to 300-400 kgs of MSW/hour, recovering up to 85-98 percent of biodegradables and more than 95 percent of non-biodegradables. Any kind of mixed waste is dumped into the hopper and the waste is segregated instantaneously.

With an inbuilt IoT technology, Trashbot consumes relatively less energy compared to conventional segregators, minimises manual intervention and enables quick processing of large volumes of waste. Trashbots are installed at various wards across the city to prevent dumping of wastes on the streets and pathways, and thus prevent choking of water and sewage channels, which have resulted in flooding during heavy rains.

Date: 25th February 2018 Publication: The Times of India Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof. Andrew Thangaraj Headline: IIT Madras to train would-be architects on optimum use of glass URL: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/iit-madras-to-train-would-be-architects-on- optimum-use-of-glass/articleshow/63061080.cms

IIT Madras to train would-be architects on optimum use of glass

Chennai: In a bid to promote efficient use of glass in the construction sector, IIT Madras will design the content for a new course offered by the National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL) that aims to reach out to budding architects and civil engineers.

Through the course, NPTEL is seeking to create awareness on judicious and appropriate use of glass which is crucial for energy efficiency in any building.

An MoU was signed between NPTEL, IIT Madras and Glass Academy Foundation, a non-profit organisation. The institute said the course is the first of its kind to be offered as an MOOC in an open learning mode in the country. Other IITs too will work alongside IIT Madras while providing content for the course.

Highlighting the importance of the initiative, Padma Shri awardee and chairman of Glass Academy advisory board C N Raghavendran said, “Traditional materials have been the subject of study and training for decades. However, modern day glass as a material in construction is yet to become a subject of study and training in academic institutions.”

With the support of IIT Madras, NPTEL said it aims to take the course to 1,600 colleges and educational institutions in the country. “The course will tap into a niche area, uncommon in academic circles, as in spite of advancements in the field, there are few, if any, formal academic courses that educate budding civil engineers and architects on efficient use of glass,” said NPTEL, which is funded by the MHRD and currently offers 227 courses with a learner enrolment base of over 9.8 lakh.

Andrew Thangaraj, NPTEL coordinator at IIT Madras, said collaboration with industry is the next step for NPTEL to help college graduates be prepared for the job market.

Date: 25th February 2018 Publication: India Education Diary Edition: Online Journalist: NA Professor: Prof Bhaskar Ramamurthi & Prof. Andrew Thangaraj Headline: IIT Madras to provide content for course, which is first-of-its-kind to be offered as a MOOCs in an open learning mode in India URL: https://indiaeducationdiary.in/iit-madras-provide-content-course-first-kind-offered-moocs- open-learning-mode-india/

IIT Madras to provide content for course, which is first-of-its-kind to be offered as a MOOCs in an open learning mode in India

Chennai: The National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL)has tied up with the glass Industry to reach out to budding architects and civil engineers with the objective of creating awareness on efficient use of glass in construction sector. Judicious and appropriate usage of glass is crucial to achieve energy efficiency in any building.

Along with other IITs, IIT Madras will provide content for this course, which will be first of its kind to be offered as a MOOCs in an open learning mode in India.

NPTEL (nptel.ac.in) is one of the most successful inter-institute collaborative educational efforts in India today. Funded by the MHRD, it has been offering Online Certification Courses (onlinecourses.nptel.ac.in) since 2014. The current semester has 227 courses on offer with a learner enrolment base of over 9.8 lakh.

Glass Academy Foundation, a not-for-profit company, works to be an industry-professional- academia-interface to impart knowledge and skills amongst the various stakeholders in the glass eco-system.

Date: 26th February 2018 Publication: The Times of India Edition: Delhi Page No: 2 Journalist: NA Professor: Prof Manivannan Headline: Wearable Health Tracking device

Date: 26th February 2018 Publication: Deccan Herald Edition: Bangalore Page No: 10 Journalist: Arun Kumar Das Headline: Bio-toilets are raising a stink URL: http://www.deccanherald.com/content/661565/bio-toilets-raising-stink.html