The pandemic and subsequent lockdowns saw the premature death of various small and medium businesses, especially in micro to medium scale category due to a choked economy and a negative overall demand. This is where the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur has emerged as a support system for the MSME sector by creating a business resource platform called the Technopark@iitk. This digital platform helps young and small businesses to avail the world-class, certified services of the Institute’s Research and Development.
The Assistance Support of Excellence
The Technopark@iitk is a forum created which allows access to small and medium scale businesses to R&D support by signing up for the home-designed ‘Affiliate Membership Model’. This digital gateway to the best in class resources is aimed to improve the quality, enhance skill, upgrade technology, and refine the overall delivery of the market product. The primary features of this platform grants access to the state of art research infrastructure and intellectual resources along with the opportunity to work with the brilliant minds of IIT Kanpur students. This is also a road that paves a way for participation in SIG or Special Interest Groups, meets, Technopark@iitk organised industry events. This model further helps brands to establish themselves deeply and strongly into the post-COVID market with greater visibility with a chance to license and commercialise IIT Kanpur IPs, a database of over 600 patents! Apart from all of this, an affliated member of the Technopark@iitk can enjoy the benefit of an office on grounds for 30 days in one year to establish closer relation and alliance with IIT Kanpur.
IIT Kanpur has a huge MSME base and it was realised during discussions that they are interested to seek and utilise expertise from the Institution, however, developing R&D individually is both unfeasible and expensive in the middle of a raging pandemic. The Technopark here comes in as a saviour as it would reach out to this entire MSME database rather than being restricted to a select few.
It is eager to magnify its acquiring range by absorbing more and MSMEs and start-ups within its infrastructure. With its ambitious approach and firm grounding, the research park has planned to increase its scope in the coming months. It is already occupied in active exchange with the TiE-UP and Indian Institute Association (IIA) and is aiming the support and backing of government ministry of the MSME sector to push its model for a wider and broadened adoption.
Knock Knock
This is great opportunity for young brands that are collapsing under the pressure of a ruined economy and post-pandemic world. With this novel venture, IIT Kanpur has taken a strong step towards establishing a newer and stronger economy that is based on the needs of the new world. The promise and validity of its name, along with its strive to innovate, IIT Kanpur has emerged as the proverbial walking crane of the crippled markets and economy.
