05-08-2025
NIT-C becomes India's first I-STEM catalyst centre
The National Institute of Technology, Calicut (NIT-C), has become the country's first I-STEM Catalyst Centre. An announcement in this regard was made during I-STEM SAMAVESHA–11 held on the campus on Tuesday (August 5).
A release said that I-STEM is India's national platform committed to democratising access to advanced scientific infrastructure and fostering collaborative innovation across sectors. The centre is envisioned as a strategic hub that connects academic institutions, research labs, startups, and industries within a region to amplify resource sharing, foster inter-institutional collaboration, and accelerate research and innovation.
SAMAVESHA is the flagship outreach initiative of the Indian Science, Technology, and Engineering Facilities Map (I-STEM), operating under the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (OPSA), Government of India. The programme is aimed at promoting equitable access to advanced scientific infrastructure, enabling researchers, startups, industries, and academic professionals, especially from tier-3 and tier-4 regions, to benefit from facilities and expertise typically concentrated in tier-1 and tier-2 cities. Prasad Krishna, Director, NIT-C, and Harilal Bhaskar, COO/National Coordinator, I-STEM, OPSA, Government of India, opened the event. N. Sandhyarani, Dean (Research & Consultancy), NIT-C, and I-STEM officials were present.
