Dec 9 2009
A joint meeting was held by the members of the Nanotechnology Business Group and the Nano Science and Technology Consortium (NSTC) at the New Friends Club, New Delhi last month. The meeting was addressed by reputed Nanotechnology experts, Dr. Ravi Prasad Krishnamurthy (of nDure Technologies Pty. Ltd., Australia), Dr. Javed Hussain (ex-Dean Aligarh Muslim University), Mr. Puneet Mehrotra (Director - NSTC) and Dr. Debajyoti Sarangi (AGM, Moser-Baer Photo Voltaic).
nDure Technologies (Australia) is the strategic partner of the NSTC in India, and specializes in technology transfer solutions. NSTC, NOIDA, India, acts as a collaborative body, joining together the industry, academia, researchers and the student body onto a common platform. It facilitates technology transfer and also increases nanotechnology awareness through distance education programs. The Nanotechnology Business Group is a forum on which people interested in exploring the potential in Nanotechnology commercial ventures can meet and discuss possible ventures.
The meeting concentrated principally on nano-based solutions being developed in Australia, and their applications in the Indian scenario. “Australian researchers are keen to market their products in India”, said Dr. Krishnamurthy. He went on to inform the gathering about various new nanodevices and nanomaterials available in Australia, and their uses in critically life-saving medical applications.
Dr. Javed Hussain, who heads the Nanotechnology Business Group, presented various business models for those who want to set up a nanotechnology industry in India. He presented a business model for entrepreneurs want to start with very small investment levels, to the tune of 10-20 lakhs, and went on to explain how the business could turn into a profit-making venture within two years.
Mr. Puneet Mehrotra offered NSTCs consultancy services to serious entrepreneurs in the area, and proposed that the initiative to set up a nano-industry must come from investors at the SME level. He said that NSTC has the necessary infrastructure, know-how and industry-academia connections to facilitate technology transfer, conduct market research and provide advisory inputs that would enable entrepreneurs of various levels to begin nano-based ventures.
The meeting was attended by various budding entrepreneurs, some of whom are now actively pursuing the abovementioned experts for guidance in setting up ventures, and for technology transfer solutions.