Indore: In a major boost to Madhya Pradesh and central India, the Department of Science and Technology has sanctioned Rs 100-crore grant for establishing a Technology Innovation Hub (TIH) on System Simulation, Modelling and Visualization aspects of Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) at IIT Indore.
“The externally funded grant, maximum in the 11 years of existence of the institute, was an outcome of a rigorous evaluation of the proposals received in response to the call for proposals under National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber Physical Systems (NM-ICPS),” said IIT Indore faculty member Dr Pavan Kumar Kankar.
IIT Indore’s proposal, driving Innovation through Simulation Hub for Technologies in Interdisciplinary Cyber Physical System, (DRISHTI-CPS), was put together by a core interdisciplinary team of 8 faculty members including Dr Pavan Kumar Kankar, Dr Bhupesh Kumar Lad, Prof Abhinav Kranti, Dr Abhishek Srivastava, Prof Sandeep Chaudhary, Dr Ankur Miglani, Dr Bhargav Vaidya and Dr Kiran Bala.
“The core team was ably supported by domain experts both within and outside the institute. In addition to this, DRISHTI-CPS is benefiting from advice by an eminent panel of very competent and accomplished experts,” said IIT Indore public relation officer Sunil Kumar.
Most modern systems today have a digital presence, in addition to being extensively interconnected via Internet of Things (IoT) deployments. Such systems, popularly known as CPS, are capable of taking autonomous decisions using data analytics and artificial intelligence. There has been a rapid proliferation of CPS in the lives of human beings.
Kankar said, “TIH at IIT Indore plans to lead in skill enhancement, technology development, and product commercialization in the domain of Cyber Physical Systems. The overarching objective of the proposed hub is to create an ecosystem that supports the development and commercialization of technologies facilitating modelling, simulation, and visualization of CPS.”
“This objective will be achieved in the true sense when a self-sustaining system is created over a period of time that supports R&D projects, patenting, licensing, and commercialization, incubation of start-up companies and spin-offs, and initiation of joint projects with the industry.”
IIT Indore hub would contribute directly to the development of skilled human resources by organizing knowledge sharing and training activities that would include but not be limited to industry driven courses (executive development programs, continuing education programs), hands-on training, webinars, events, workshops, grand challenges, conferences, hackathons, online courses and tinkering activities.
The TIH will support and be along the lines of flagship initiatives of the Government of India such as Skill India (SI), Make in India (MII), Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Program (PMEGP), Start-up India and the recently coined Atmanirbhar Bharat.
