“Engineering graduates should consider taking up research as a full-time profession, either as academics or as technology-based entrepreneurs,” Professor, IIT Madras, V. Kamakoti said in Belagavi on Tuesday.
“India is amidst an unprecedented digital revolution. Whether it is UPI, the implementation of Aadhaar, Arogya Setu, all these have enabled to drive home the benefits to the weak and marginalised sections of society. It has also brought in a great sense of inclusiveness which has been globally appreciated. It is a revolution we are all part of and we all should be proud of,” Prof. Kamakoti said.
He was delivering an address at the 23rd convocation of Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU).
“The digital revolution has also brought in a great sense of inclusiveness which has been globally appreciated. It is a revolution we are all part of and we all should be proud of.”V. Kamakoti,Professor, IIT Madras
“Today, you are witnessing unprecedented opportunities. Opportunities that will enable each one of you to cherish and achieve your dreams, opportunities wherein you have an environment which supports initiatives and entrepreneurship from creative and young minds like yours. Today, India is home to more than 108 Unicorns and I am sure, many of you graduates will join the celebrity list of Unicorn Entrepreneurs very soon by being both job creators and wealth creators,” he said.
“The market potential for ideas based on innovation and scalable technologies become readily tappable. For this, the promising potential of innovations and scalable technologies, rationalised, focused minds and effort are crucial. They immensely help to create a business model for the startups and thus, spotlight the readily-available opportunities. Thus, the blend of innovation entrepreneurship and startups accelerate socio-economic development and transformation,” he said.
“A strong research and innovation ecosystem is essential for any developing society. Research and innovation are a continuous intertwined journey. I have undergone this journey and I can tell you that it gives immense satisfaction and a sense of achievement at every stage. Among you, I will be looking for a large number of you to dedicate yourself to foundational and translational research activities that can be enhanced both in scale and reach to bring out large-scale societal benefits and transformation,” he said.
“When research innovation and associated technology are more focused, fine-tuned for immediate and relevant applications impacting society, they carry a unique significance. And, those which target the local market needs are indeed used effectively by local markets themselves. This is the fundamental element behind indigenisation,” he said.
He asked the students to take a pledge to contribute to the nation in achieving Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) of 100% and that no one is left behind from school education and that they will support the nation in achieving all sustainable development goals and that they become partners in creating indigenous Intellectual Property (IP) and also become job providers rather than job seekers.
