Moving beyond their relationship with educational institutions only for campus recruitments, companies are now entering into long-term pacts with premier institutions for joint research on new products.
In recent weeks, Satyam Computer Services signed an agreement with IIT-Madras for carrying out R&D studies, while Delhi-based Moser-Baer has joined hands with IIT-Delhi for joint research on thin film sputtering technology.
Taking a step forward, the tie-ups extend to joint patents of the new products, whereby the companies and the institutes both benefit from the research.
"The collaboration between institutes and companies for R&D offer tremendous scope. The institutes receive funding from companies and the companies can gain from the academic excellence and facilities available in the campus," a faculty member of IIT-Madras said.
According to him, the trend is expected to continue in the coming months, whereby more and more companies get involved with premier institutions for long-term collaboration for new product R&D.
The tie-ups for joint research are not restricted to IITs alone. Other institutes are also being tapped by companies for R&D. Recently, KE-Burgmann Flexibles India Pvt Ltd, a subsidiary of Denmark-based fabric metal and rubber expansion joints maker KE-Burgmann, signed a pact with Velammal Engineering College, near Chennai, for R&D work.
"It is outsourcing of R&D by domestic companies to local institutes," said the IIT professor.
As regards the pact with IIT-Madras, Satyam will offer its practical domain expertise and knowledge in manufacturing, automotive and other areas of interest, besides generating funds to aid the project.
"Networking of industry and institutes is an essential catalyst in all round development and progress. The synergies that both constituents bring to the progress are highly beneficial to everyone involved - the students, the institute, the organisation and the industry," said Satyam's Chairman B Ramalinga Raju.
Many other top companies like Infosys, Cognizant, etc also have tie-ups with educational institutes. But, the main objective of that was to train the faculty and to improve the curriculum, said industry officials.
According to Finn Jacobsen, MD, KE-Burgmann, Denmark, the collaboration with Velammal Engineering College would help the company continue its focus on R&D in relation to fabric expansion joints and materials technology and engineering and new product development, which is one of its main activities in India.
"The collaboration will involve a close working relationship with the expertise of the Velammal's mechanical and computer science departments with the college's state-of-the-art laboratory," he said.
