IIT Delhi Director Dr V Ramgopal Rao says IITs across the country are lagging behind in innovation and research

IIT Delhi director Dr V Ramgopal Rao is happy to see publication works by IITs across the country, but feels not enough is being done in the area of innovation and research.

"In terms of publication, India is delivering good work but when it comes to innovation, there is zero contribution. Research and innovation is an area where we are lagging behind. We are in race of publishing papers which nobody is interested in," he said, during an event in the national capital.

Rao further went on to pitch for better and more infrastructure for students, adding that real innovation in technology has not even started as it requires technology incubation centers which institutes today are lacking.

IIT Delhi has been working on various innovative research projects but Rao says he wants his students to focus more on those projects which can make a significant difference in peoples’ lives or in businesses' day-to-day functioning.

"We need to focus on the problems that our country has. Our researchers should work on those issues which will help in solving these problems. For example, our students should visit the hospitals and understand the process of the functioning," Rao said.

Professor Pradipta Banerji, director at IIT Roorkee also echoed Rao’s sentiments on the slow pace of innovation. He said: "Innovation cannot take place in a vacuum. We have research and the ideas but we lack in terms of industry. There is an urgent need to broaden the horizon and institution.”

Banerji added that despite thousands of innovation, the reason there is no impact is lack of industry participation. He said it's the role of government to facilitate this process and build an ecosystem.