Ahmedabad: Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Dr. Jitendra Singh, inaugurated the Central Instrumentation Facility and three new Department of Science & Technology (DST)-funded research clusters at IIT Gandhinagar, underlining the importance of translating scientific research into practical societal and economic outcomes.
The initiatives were launched during the programme titled “Advancing Research & Innovation Towards Viksit Bharat with the Inauguration of Major Research Initiatives.”
The newly inaugurated Central Instrumentation Facility, along with the Advanced Materials Research Cluster (AMRC), Energy Research Cluster (ERC), and Healthcare & MedTech Research Cluster (HMRC), has been established to convert cutting-edge research into deployable solutions that contribute to national development.
The Minister highlighted that nearly 70 industries have joined as founding partners, demonstrating growing confidence in industry-academia collaboration.
Dr. Jitendra Singh observed that India’s challenges in materials self-reliance, clean energy, and affordable healthcare require sustained efforts beyond academic publications.
The Minister also highlighted that recent science policy initiatives have focused on democratising research opportunities and funding.
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During the event, the Minister also inaugurated the Central Instrumentation Facility (CIF) at IIT Gandhinagar and released its official booklet.
He described shared scientific infrastructure as a critical enabler of innovation, providing researchers, startups, and industries with access to sophisticated equipment that individual institutions may not be able to establish independently.
According to him, such infrastructure will also support strategic national priorities, including India’s semiconductor mission.
As part of his visit, Dr. Jitendra Singh interacted with startups and faculty-led technology demonstrations at the IIT Gandhinagar Research Park.
Established with support from the Department of Science and Technology, the Research Park functions as a collaborative platform connecting researchers, entrepreneurs, and industry partners to accelerate innovation and commercialisation. It currently hosts more than 20 companies and supports over 30 startups.
