Category Archives: Science & Technology

INTERNATIONAL / NATIONAL: PATENTS: IIT Madras records 92% jump in Indian patents granted during 2023

The number of international patents filed, including those granted under the Patent Cooperation Treaty, also recorded a significant increase, going up to 105 in 2023, from 58 in the preceding year.

The Indian Institute of Technology – Madras (IIT Madras) saw a 92 per cent jump in the number of Indian patents granted in 2023, rising from 156 patents in 2022 to 300 in 2023.

Additionally, the number of international patents filed, including those granted under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), also recorded a significant increase, going up to 105 in 2023, from 58 in the preceding year. Furthermore, as many as 221 patents have already been filed during the current financial year (as of December 2023), including 163 Indian patents and 63 international patent applications (including PCT).

Since the institute’s inception, a total of about 2,550 IP (including patent) applications have been filed both in India (1,800) and abroad (750) so far, out of which about 1,100 are registered IPs/granted patents (about 900 Indian and 200 international). Interestingly, the institute started filing patent applications as early as January 1975 (granted in May 1977). The total number of IP applications filed crossed 1,000 in 2016, 2,000 in 2022, and 2,500 in 2023.

Lauding the faculty, researchers, and students on their pioneering and translational research, V Kamakoti, director of IIT Madras, said, “As we are marching towards our 100th year of Independence, for Bharat to become a superpower, it is very important to protect our ideas. In this direction, I congratulate the faculty and students and the Office of Industrial Consultancy and Sponsored Research (ICSR) who have put together a very comprehensive programme, by which we have created a record in the number of patents filed.”

Researchers at IIT Madras are generating IP in domains such as wireless networks, advanced materials, robotics, additive manufacturing technology, engine advancements, assistive devices, advanced sensor applications, clean energy, aerospace applications, polymer materials, thin films, catalysts, and biomedical applications, among other emerging technologies. The Office of Industrial Consultancy and Sponsored Research (ICSR) at IIT Madras coordinates the different aspects related to intellectual property and technology transfer. The centre collaborates with faculty, researchers, and students and also has a dedicated legal cell.

Elaborating on the institute’s support provided to researchers, Manu Santhanam, dean (ICSR) at IIT Madras, said, “The institute has made it easy for inventors to access existing patent information through an online AI-based patent search tool. This facility has helped the inventors not only to quickly evaluate the invention by themselves but also to improve their ideas and claims. The emphasis is also equally on the quality of the work being translated as IP. This is only possible because of the collaborative effort of our inventors and the IP team.”

source/content: business-standard.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: HEALTH CARE / CANCER : Group of Oncologists launch Free-of-Cost second opinion Helpline Number for Cancer Patients

The number — 9355520202 — will be operational from 10 am to 5 pm from Monday to Saturday.

A free-of-cost second opinion helpline number for cancer patients has been launched by a group of oncologists under their “Cancer Mukt Bharat Campaign”.

Cancer patients can call on this number to speak to oncologists directly or even do a video call to discuss about their treatment.

It can be accessed by anyone in the country and promises to be a game-changer in the fight against cancer, Dr. Ashish Gupta, who is heading the campaign, said.

“Second opinion is recommended to almost all patients who have been diagnosed with cancer as it is a matter of life and death. It is also important if their condition does not improve despite treatment or if their diagnosis or treatment is in doubt. For cancer treatment, costs may be high and differ from hospital to hospital, so cost is another important reason to get a second opinion,” Gupta said.

The helpline will serve as a valuable resource for individuals faced with the daunting challenge of cancer, offering them the opportunity to consult experienced oncologists without the burden of financial constraints, he said.

The free second opinion helpline will help in ensuring that patients receive the most accurate and up-to-date information about their condition and treatment options, Gupta said.

Sharing the reason behind starting this helpline number, he said there is been a rapid increase in the number of cancer cases in India and there is a dearth of healthcare facilities and healthcare doctors.

In the rapidly evolving field of cancer treatment, where new medicines and innovative therapies are continually emerging, a second opinion becomes invaluable, Gupta said.

“With continuous research, we are witnessing advancements in cancer care that were unimaginable just a few years ago. These breakthroughs translate into better outcomes and improved quality of life for cancer patients. The second opinion helpline ensures that patients can tap into these advancements and receive update on the most effective treatments available,” he said. PTI PLB ANB ANB

Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.

source/content: telegraphindia.com (headline edited)

GLOBAL: SPACE / MOON LANDING: Chandrayaan 3’s landing site name ‘Shiv Shakti’ gets International Astronomical Union (IAU) recognition

Chandrayaan 3’s moon lander’s landing site was named Shiv Shakti on August 26 by Prime Minsiter Narendra Modi.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 26 had announced that the landing site of Chandrayaan 3’s moon lander would be named Shiv Shakti. Six months later, the internationally recognised body for nomenclature of celestial objects has officially granted it recognition.

International Astronomical Union (IAU) Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature on Tuesday approved the name ‘Statio Shiv Shakti’ for the landing site of Chandrayaan’s Vikram lander.

Chandrayaan 3 — India’s moonshot

Chandrayaan 3, India’s third lunar mission, took off from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on July 14. After about a month, on August 23, the Vikram lander successfully touched down on the moon, along with the Pragyan Rover. This historic achievement positioned India as the first country to land near the lunar South Pole and only the fourth to achieve a controlled lunar landing.

Following 10 days of exploration on the lunar surface, both the lander and rover entered sleep mode. Meanwhile, the propulsion module remains in lunar orbit after separating from the lander.

What is Shiv Shakti point?

On August 26, PM Narendra Modi declared that the landing site of Chandrayaan 3’s moon lander would be named Shiv Shakti .

“In Shiv, there is a resolution for the welfare of humanity, and Shakti gives us strength to fulfil those resolutions,” said Modi, while announcing the name.

The IAU’s Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature, where the name was officially published, described it as a compound word from Indian mythology representing the masculine (“Shiva”) and feminine (“Shakti”) duality of nature.

Why are celestial bodies named?

Planetary nomenclature is like naming places on Earth. It helps us identify and talk about specific features on planets and moons. This list, created by the International Astronomical Union (IAU), includes all the names given to different spots on planets, moons, and even some ring systems since 1919. It makes it easier for scientists to locate and describe these places.

source/content: hindustantimes.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: SCIENCE / GENOME: Scientists complete project to Sequence Genomes of 10,000 Indians in hope of tailored medicines

Consortium of scientists from 20 research institutions was engaged in project funded by department of biotechnology, and aimed at genome sequencing 10,000 representative Indians from across country.

Scientists have completed a project to sequence the genomes of 10,000 Indians to build a database that could provide fresh insights into links between genes and health and fuel advances towards personalised precision medicine.

The Indian project — similar to sequencing efforts in other countries — might help pinpoint potentially deleterious genetic mutations associated with specific diseases and provide clues that could be used to develop preventive health strategies or therapy tailored for specific individuals, project scientists have said.

A consortium of scientists from 20 research institutions was engaged in the project funded by the department of biotechnology (DBT), a unit of the Union science ministry, and aimed at genome sequencing 10,000 representative Indians from across the country.

“We have in India more than 4,600 anthropologically well-defined population groups — a diversity of genomes marked by multiple migrations as well as intermixing,” said K. Thangaraj, a scientist at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, a joint coordinator of the project.

“Only a large sequencing project can meaningfully capture the diversity in our population,” said Thangaraj whose study more than 15 years ago had established that the tribes in the Andaman islands are the descendants of modern humans who trudged out of Africa some 65,000 years ago.

The 10,000 genome sequencing effort will provide “a refence genetic database” for Indian populations that can serve as a detailed catalogue of genetic variations found in India, said Y. Narahari, the project’s joint coordinator in the Centre for Brain Science at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.

Preliminary findings from the project include a catalogue of 135 million genetic variants identified in a set of 5,750 genome samples, the discovery of disease-specific genetic variants that appear to influence the risk of high cholesterol, several cancers and certain heart diseases, Narahari said.

The project has also helped medical researchers identify genetic variants that are associated with resistance or ineffectiveness of certain medicines such as anti-coagulant drugs and anti-viral drugs. Such findings could in future guide doctors into tailoring treatment according to a person’s genetic makeup.

The catalogue of genetic variants may serve as a starting point for expanding precision medicine in the country, according to a document outlining possible outcomes of the 10,000 genome project. Links between specific gene variants and susceptibility to non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular conditions may be used to guide individuals into reducing their risk of disease.

source/content: telegraphindia.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: SEMI-CONDUCTORS: Cabinet approves 03 Semiconductor proposals in Gujarat, Assam

One of the facilities is a fabrication unit — as opposed to a packaging or assembly unit — and will make 50,000 ‘wafer starts’ a day.

The Union Cabinet on February 29 approved three semiconductor proposals amounting to ₹1,25,600 crore in value in Dholera and Sanand in Gujarat, and in Morigaon in Assam. The Dholera and Morigaon facilities will be built by Tata Electronics Pvt. Ltd. and Tata Semiconductor Assembly and Test Pvt. Ltd. The former will be a full-fledged fabrication unit producing 50,000 ‘wafer starts,’ the initial form of silicon chips, per month.

Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation of Taiwan will be the technology partner for the fab unit, while the assembly and testing unit in Morigaon’s technology partners have been kept confidential at their request, Minister of Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw told reporters.

The Dholera units will be used to make “high performance compute chips with 28 nanometre technology,” and also to make chips for power management, which Mr. Vaishnaw said accounted for a large part of semiconductor demand. Both facilities’ output will cater to domestic demand as well as export their produced chips, Mr. Vaishnaw said.

Construction will start within 100 days, he added, hoping that the work is done well before the standard 5 year timeline for such facilities. The chip assembly facility by Micron, announced last year, is on track to have its first chip produced by December 2024, Mr. Vaishnaw said. The facilities announced on Thursday will create 20,000 direct jobs and 60,000 indirect jobs, the IT Ministry estimated in a note.

The facility in Sanand will also be a packaging unit, set up by CG Power with technology from the Renesas Electronics Corporation of Japan and Stars Microelectronics of Thailand.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited0

NATIONAL: DEFENCE & AVIATION: Mid-air Refuellers, Maritime Planes in India’s ₹84,560 cr Defence push

The DAC accorded its acceptance of necessity (AoN) to the capital acquisition projects, paving the way for inducting a range of capabilities.

Lending further momentum to the ongoing self-reliance drive in the defence manufacturing sector, India on Friday approved several key proposals worth Rs.84,560 crore to strengthen the military’s operational readiness, including the purchase of more mid-air refuellers, medium-range maritime reconnaissance and multi-mission aircraft, heavy weight-torpedoes and new generation anti-tank mines.

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), headed by Union defence minister Rajnath Singh, accorded its acceptance of necessity (AoN) to the capital acquisition projects, paving the way for inducting a range of capabilities that will help the three services and the coast guard address challenges in their vast domains.

“In the true spirit of ‘Aatmanirbharta’, the approvals accorded today lay special emphasis on the procurement of various equipment from Indian vendors,” the defence ministry said in a statement.

The clearance for the purchase of six mid-air refuellers to extend the reach of the Indian Air Force’s fighter jets is by far the most notable development considering it comes against the backdrop of previous failed attempts to buy new tankers, officials aware of the matter said, asking not to be named.

The refuellers were cleared under the ‘Buy (Global)’ acquisition category which refers to the outright purchase of equipment from foreign or Indian vendors.

IAF operates a fleet of six Russian-origin Ilyushin-78 tankers that are plagued by maintenance problems and the force urgently needs at least six more refuellers.

The go-ahead for 15 new C-295 aircraft in a maritime configuration for the navy and coast guard is equally critical, the officials said.

IAF received the delivery of its first C-295 transport aircraft from Airbus Defence and Space in September 2023. The aircraft was the first of the 56 such planes ordered by IAF under a Rs.21,935 crore project to modernise its transport fleet. The European plane maker will deliver 16 planes in flyaway condition, while the rest will be assembled in India at a Tata facility in Gujarat’s Vadodara.

DAC has accorded AoN, under the Buy (Indian-IDDM) category, for new generation anti-tank mines “with seismic sensor and provision of remote deactivation with additional safety features,” the statement said. IDDM stands for indigenously designed, developed and manufactured.

Under India’s defence procurement rules, the council’s AoN is the first step towards buying military hardware. The Indian-IDDM category is the most important category of acquisition for indigenisation under the defence procurement policy.

“To enhance the operational efficiency and domination in the tactical battle area for engaging targets that are beyond visual line of sight by the mechanised forces, AoN under Buy (Indian-IDDM) category has also been accorded for procurement of canister launched anti-armour loiter munition system,” the statement said.

The military hardware cleared by the council includes air defence tactical control radars to detect slow, small and low-flying targets as well as surveillance, detection and tracking of other targets; active towed array sonar with capabilities to operate at low frequencies and various depths for long range detection of enemy submarines; and heavy-weight torpedoes for enhancing the capabilities of Kalvari class submarines.

India has sharpened its focus on the defence manufacturing sector during the last five to six years and has taken several measures to achieve self-reliance. These include banning the import of a range of weapons, systems and parts, creating a separate budget for buying locally made military hardware, increasing foreign direct investment from 49% to 74% and improving ease of doing business.

Setting aside a budget for India-made weapons and systems is one of the key measures to boost self-reliance. Around Rs.1 lakh crore was earmarked for domestic procurement in the defence budget for 2023-24, compared to Rs.84,598 crore, Rs.70,221 crore and Rs.51,000 crore in the three previous years.

source/content: hindustantimes.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL / NATIONAL: MANUFACTURING & AVIATION : MAKE IN INDIA : Airbus contracts Dynamatic to make doors for A220 aircraft

Will double sourcing from India from a value of $750 mn to $1.5 bn.

French aerospace manufacturer Airbus on Thursday announced the awarding of a contract for the manufacturing and assembly of its A220 aircraft doors to Bengaluru-based Dynamatic Technologies in what it called “one of the largest aerospace export contracts to India.”

Dynamatic will manufacture and assemble the cargo, passenger and service doors along with the over-wing emergency exit doors for the A220 family aircraft, which total to eight doors per aircraft.

The order signifies implementation of “complex assembling and integration of aerospace manufacturing, which will create downstream opportunities in the Indian aviation supply chain,” Airbus CEO Remi Maillard, President and Managing Director, Airbus India and South Asia said at a press event.

Thursday’s contract is also among the orders that will enable Airbus to double its sourcing from India, which is valued at about $750 million every year. This is expected to rise to $1.5 billion over the next few years.

To a question on when Airbus plans a final assembly line for commercial aircraft given large orders from IndiGo and Air India, Mr. Maillard said Airbus provided more jobs and more value for India today than any Final Assembly Line (FAL) will achieve.

According to Dynamatic’s Udayant Malhoutra only 15% of value generated from manufacturing an aircraft comes from a FAL.

Airbus recently announced a FAL for H125 helicopter for the private sector and in 2022 announced a FAL for C-295 transport aircraft for the Indian Air Force.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL / NATIONAL: EV : Yamaha Motor leads $40 million funding in e-scooter startup River

The company entered the domestic EV market with its first e-scooter, Indie, in October last year, and in January it opened its first River store in Bengaluru.

Electric scooter startup River on Tuesday announced it has raised USD 40 million (Rs 335 crore) in Series B funding led by Japan’s Yamaha Motor Co, Ltd. The funds will be utilised for scaling up the distribution and service network, among others.

“The investment is a significant boost for our plan to build a billion dollar global utility-lifestyle brand by 2030. We have built a great base in R&D and manufacturing over the last two years and now, it’s time to grow,” said Aravind Mani, Co-founder and CEO of River.

The company entered the domestic EV market with its first e-scooter, Indie, in October last year, and in January it opened its first River store in Bengaluru.

The Series B funding round also saw participation from existing investors Al-Futtaim Automotive, Lowercarbon Capital, Toyota Ventures and Maniv Mobility, River said.

With the latest capital infusion, the total funding secured by the company since its inception in March 2021 stands at USD 68-million (Rs 565 crores), according to River.

With this funding, the company plans to scale the distribution and service network across the country and invest further in R&D for future lineup of products.

“The collaboration with Yamaha will help us leverage the design and technology capability that we have built at River.”, said Vipin George, Co-founder and Chief Product Officer, River.

The company said its maiden e-scooter, Indie, has been fully designed and developed at its R&D facility in Bengaluru and manufactured at its Hoskote manufacturing facility on the outskirts of Bengaluru.

source/content: indianexpress.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: HEALTH & MEDICINE: RESEARCH: British Indian Doctor Tony Dhillon to undertake ‘ground-breaking’ Cancer Vaccine trial

Dr Tony Dhillon, a Consultant Medical Oncologist at the Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust, proposed the idea for the trial and has worked with Professor Tim Price in Australia for the last four years to develop the vaccine.

A British Indian doctor is the chief investigator of a “ground-breaking” trial of a vaccine to treat early bowel cancer for patients worldwide, following a UK-Australia collaboration between scientists and doctors.

The trial, announced recently, will be run by the Cancer Research UK Southampton Clinical Trials Unit at the University of Southampton in collaboration with Royal Surrey and Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Adelaide, Australia.

“This is the first treatment vaccine in any gastrointestinal cancer and we have high hopes that it will be very successful. We think that for a lot of patients, the cancer will have gone completely after this treatment,” said Dr Dhillon.

“This is ground-breaking. I feel as if we are on the edge of something really big here. The vaccine makes the immune system go after the cancer. It will be life-changing because it means that potentially, patients may not need to have surgery – they may just have the vaccine,” he said.

There will be 10 sites for patients to be enrolled – six in Australia and four in the UK, with 44 patients to be enrolled in the study over an 18-month period.

The vaccine will be used to treat patients before surgery, in the hope that it will cause the body to attack the cancer. It would mean any surgery would be less invasive. It is also hoped that the strength of the vaccine could support the immune system to respond if there is a relapse and the cancer returns later on.

“We are hugely proud to have been involved in the launch of this ground-breaking new vaccine. As the fourth-largest cancer centre in the UK, helping to fight cancer is a huge part of what we do and this will really provide an opportunity for bowel cancer patients and give them real hope of beating the disease,” said Louise Stead, Royal Surrey Foundation Trust Chief Executive.

Patients will have an endoscopy, and then a tissue sample will be tested to see if they are eligible for the trial. If they are, they will have three doses of the vaccine before having surgery to remove the cancer.

The trial will be available for just 44 patients around the world. After the trial finishes, the vaccine will either be licensed for use or if it’s successful, a bigger study will be carried out.

Bowel cancer, also known as colorectal cancer, is the third most common cancer, with a worldwide annual incidence of over 1.2 million cases and a mortality rate of approximately 50 per cent.

source/content: tribuneindia.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: DEFENCE : MADE IN INDIA / COLLABORATION WITH FRANCE : Welcome progress in Maintenance-Repair-Overhaul (MRO) for LEAP, Rafale Engines, Scorpene Subs to be Made in India, IMRH Engine Partnership

The joint statement was released after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with visiting French President and Republic Day chief guest Emmanuel Macron Thursday and Friday.

India and France on Friday welcomed the progress in establishing the MRO (Maintenance-Repair-Overhaul) facility for LEAP engines in India by French defence major Safran and plans to add MRO for Rafale engines, a joint statement released by the two countries stated.

Both the countries also welcomed a comprehensive helicopter partnership with a Joint Venture for Indian Multi Role Helicopter (IMRH) engine between Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Safran, and the Scorpene submarines constructed in India, including indigenisation, it added.

The joint statement was released after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with visiting French President and Republic Day chief guest Emmanuel Macron Thursday and Friday.

As per the statement, they also welcomed the discussions between India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the French Directorate General of Armament (DGA), and intend to conclude an Arrangement MoU in an early timeframe.

Both countries had adopted a roadmap on Defence Industrial Cooperation which was further elaborated in the joint statement.

It said President Macron and Prime Minister Modi reiterated their commitment to further deepening the integration between the two countries’ respective defence industrial sectors and to work together to identify opportunities for co-design, co-development, co-production with the objective of not only fulfilling the defence needs of the Indian armed forces, but also of providing a viable and reliable source of defence supplies to other friendly countries.

It said that they noted that defence industrial collaboration, especially from the design stage, not only creates quality jobs for the youth and advances Prime Minister’s vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat, but also supports a broader progress in scientific, technological, digital and material sciences fields to realise the vision of Viksit Bharat for 2047.

“Towards this end, the two leaders welcomed the adoption of an ambitious Defence Industrial Roadmap,” it said.

As per the statement, defense and security partnership has been the cornerstone of India-France partnership in the Indo Pacific region, which include a comprehensive range of bilateral, multinational, regional and institutional initiatives, especially in the Indian Ocean Region.

“They also agreed to intensify their cooperation in the Southwest Indian Ocean, “building on the joint surveillance missions carried out from the French island territory of La Reunion in 2020 and 2022,” it stated, adding that they also welcomed the extension of those interactions in India’s maritime neighbourhood.

“These interactions may contribute positively to the securitization of strategic sea lanes of communication,” it said.

“In addition, the two leaders welcomed the progress in bilateral dialogue and identification of specific opportunities for using India as a base for the manufacture and export of defense equipment for friendly countries in the region,” it added.

India and France have been talking over collaborating on manufacturing an engine for India’s planned fifth generation aircraft—the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft. The plans for the joint development of the engine were announced during PM Modi’s visit to France last year. At that time, both countries also said they will support industrial cooperation for motorization of heavy-lift helicopters under the IMRH programme with the French Safran Helicopter Engine, adding that a a Shareholders’ Agreement between HAL and Safran Helicopter Engine has been concluded for engine development.

India and the US will be jointly manufacturing the F-414 engine which will power its indigenous Light Combat Aircraft Mk 2 and the initial version of the AMCA.