Companies to have access to institutions’ research facilities

India’s government will soon make it mandatory for educational institutions, including the All India Institutes of Medical Sciences and the Indian Institutes of Technology, to permit private firms to use their research equipment and facilities for a fee, writes Neetu Chandra Sharma for Livemint.

Equipment such as microscopes (optical and electron), spectrometers, nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometers, bought through the department of science and technology’s Fund for Improvement of Science and Technology Infrastructure (FIST), need money for maintenance as well as trained manpower. “We are planning to make it mandatory that educational institutions allow private sector, startups and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to use their research equipment, information facilities, infrastructure and resources for a charge … The fee should be rational and transparent and will apply to all departments (including) biology, chemistry and physics as per their level of research grant under the scheme,” Ashutosh Sharma, secretary, ministry of science and technology told Mint.

The FIST scheme is intended to provide basic infrastructure and enabling facilities for promoting research and development in new and emerging areas and attracting fresh talents in universities and other educational institutions. The scheme is considered complementary support for enabling institutions to pursue research activities more effectively and efficiently.
Full report on the Livemint site