Chintan Shivir on CRTDHs Empowering MSMEs Inaugurated at IIT Kharagpur Tomorrow

Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR) under Ministry of Science and Technology has been operating a scheme “Common Research and Technology Development Hub (CRTDH)” since 2014 to promote research and technology development activities by MSMEs and develop synergy between academia and industry. CRTDHs aim to enhance productivity, increase the innovative skills of MSMEs and help them to become globally competitive and generate employment. These DSIR supported hubs are now a strong family of 18 CRTDHs located at various locations across the nation. All the CRTDHs are engaged in meaningful R&D activities in five different sectors namely Electronics/Renewable energy, Affordable health, Environmental interventions, Low-cost machining and new materials/chemical process and creating significant societal impact.

In order to strengthen the interaction between the CRTDHs and MSMEs/Start-ups/innovators, DSIR has planned to organize “Chintan Shivir-CRTDHs Empowering MSMEs” at all the 18 CRTDHs established by DSIR. The first "Chintan Shivir" in this series is being organized on 27^th July, 2023 at DSIR-CRTDH set up at Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur (IIT Kharagpur). This one day ‘Chintan Shivir- CRTDH Empowering MSMEs’ will be organized by the CRTDH at IIT, Kharagpur along with DSIR.

The event will begin with a short visit to the CRTDH facilities led by the Guests and Delegates. The event will be started with an inaugural address of Dr N. Kalaiselvi, Secretary, DSIR & Director General, CSIR and Dr VK Tewari, Director, IIT Kharagpur. The session will then proceed with an overview of Chintan Shivir by Dr. Sujata Chaklanobis, Scientist-G & Head-CRTDH, DSIR. A video of DSIR-CRTDH-IIT, Kharagpur will also be released during the event. The event will be attended by the Prof VK Tewari, Director, IIT Kharagpur; Dr. Sujata Chaklanobis, Head, CRTDH; Dr Vipin C Shukla, Member Secretary, CRTDH and senior officers Dr Ranjeet Bairwa, Dr Suman Mazumdar, Dr Kailash Petkar from DSIR along with Prof Suman Chakraborty, PI-CRTDH and his team.  Representatives from Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and delegates from the Chambers of Commerce, industry associations will participate in this important event and get the benefits of CRTDH in their R&D endeavors.

The thematic sessions will focus on the overview of CRTDH at IIT Kharagpur – the MSME Connect & Opportunities (focusing infrastructure, technologies developed, futuristic technologies aimed for and opportunities for MSMEs) by Prof. Suman Chakraborty, PI-CRTDH at IIT Kharagpur. Delegates from the Chambers of Commerce, industry associations will present the insights on the need of MSMEs in achieving their R & D needs. These sessions will highlight the role of CRTDH in empowering MSMEs in the country. These discussions will lead to a “Samvad” for identifying 5 Grand Challenges of MSMEs/Startups/Innovators and the addressing possible solutions from the CRTDH.

In nutshell, the event will have interactive sessions with the stakeholders with the aim to arrive at possible solutions for challenges faced by MSMEs/Start-ups/innovators in the country, as well as harness the opportunities towards building India as a global industrial R&D and manufacturing hub.