ISA to fund research in infotech

India Semiconductor Association (ISA) has decided to fund research work in the field of IT that would meet the requirement of the industry.

Speaking at the sidelines of the 18th International Conference on VLSI Design and 4th International Conference on Embedded Systems, Rajendra Kumar Khare, chairman of ISA, told Business Standard that there was a mismatch between the research work being done by academicians and what was required by the industry.

"ISA is trying to bridge this gap between the researchers and the industry's needs. ISA members are ready to fund research in areas of their interest," said Khera.

There was a dearth of researchers in high-end technical areas like IT, semiconductors and other related areas as more scholars were migrating to corporate world from academics due to financial reasons, pointed Vinod Agarwal, chief advisor of ISA and chairman of LogicVision Inc of the US.

Professors should get into more consultancy activities to raise funds for their research and attract best talents for superior quality research, explained Agarwal.

Faculty members should be encouraged in entrepreneurial activities for best results, he added.

West Bengal IT minister Manabendra Mukherjee, who was also present on the occasion, said West Bengal had a large talent pool, which is required to be nurtured. He also assured the government's cooperation in this area.

"To become the leader in IT sector, the state government is working upon developing human resources with the assistance of some of the country's best academic institutions. It is also trying to create the best infrastructure and also frame an effective IT policy," said Mukherjee.

The minister also informed that the IT department has been regularly staging in roadshows, meeting prospective investors and shareholders to change the state's image and put forward the value proposition that the state offers.