Punjab is all set to organise ‘Punjab Innovation and Technology Summit 2019’ on November 5 focusing on promotion of Research and Innovation to boost social and economic growth of the state. Nearly 30 noted personalities of research and innovation field would share their innovative experiences and expertise with entrepreneurs, industrialists, academicians and other stakeholders to boost this sector in the state.Interacting with the media persons here, the Principal Secretary Science, Technology and Environment Rakesh Kumar Verma informed that captains of innovation and technology from different countries would be participating in the Summit, which would provide a healthy platform to leaders and thinkers representing academia and research, industries and businesses, high technology ventures, Governments, funding agencies to deliberate upon the opportunities and challenges of promoting innovations and technologies. He said that the Summit will have eight sessions highlighting the need and advantages of the Research and Innovation in the context of present scenario of various advancements in different sectors. The themes of these sessions are Innovation and Academia, Leveraging Punjab as Land of Opportunities for Innovations, Exploring Global opportunities for collaboration and Convergence, Disruptive Technologies, Social Innovations and Enterprises, Funding Opportunities, Young Innovators & Start-ups, Technology Transformation of Punjab MSMEs, said he adding that there will also be an exhibition of innovations from universities, research institutions, industries and Start-ups to showcase the strength of Punjab’s innovation ecosystem.
Divulging details of the Summit, the Principal Secretary said that the Summit will promote Mission Innovate Punjab, which aimed at building a robust ecosystem for research and innovation in the State by synergising a strong relationship amongst key sectors such as Government, Universities and Research Institutions, Industries, Human Capital and Finance. Mission Innovate Punjab will bring the distinct cultures of Academia, Industry and Government together to drive Knowledge Economy of the State besides striving to enhance competitiveness, boost growth and create jobs, he added.The Principal Secretary said that the Department of Science, Technology & Environment has already signed MoUs with various state universities as well as Industrial Associations to enhance industry academia partnership. He said that nearly 30 eminent speakers from renowned national and international institutes including Dr. Vijay Kumar Saraswat, Member, NITI Aayog; Sh. Sunil Kant Munjal, Chairman, Hero Corporate Services Ltd.; Sh. Deepak Bagla, CEO, Invest India; Dr. Girish Sahni, Former Director General, CSIR; Prof. Youngjin Yoo, Department of Design & Innovation, Case Western Reserve University, USA; Ms Ratika Jain, CEO, Global Innovation & Technology Alliance; Mr. Abhay Jere, Chief Innovation Officer, MHRD; Prof. (Dr.) Henry H. Chen, Director, S&T Division, Taipei Economic and Cultural Center in India, Embassy of Taiwan; Mr. Karan Bajwa, MD, IBM India Ltd. and Mr. S. Balasubramanian, Managing Director, Accenture will be sharing their thoughts and experiences related to research and innovation. The Session will be held at hotel The Lalit. Executive Director of Science Technology Department J.K. Arora and Additional Director Environment Satnam Singh Ladhar were also present on this occasion.