Latest news with #RDI
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Business Standard
16-07-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
RDI scheme should fund firms that can deepen R&D, have absorptive capacity
The RDI Scheme should fund firms with adequate absorptive capacity - but which firms and how will be key Naushad Forbes Mumbai Listen to This Article The Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Scheme has been cleared by the Cabinet. The scheme allocates ₹1 trillion (or $12 billion) to funding R&D in Indian industry. Of this, ₹20,000 crore is in this year's budget. Initial comments on how the funds will flow suggest that much of it will be provided in the form of low- or zero-interest loans to a mix of funds of funds and directly to firms. My eyes glaze over in incomprehension when I hear the phrase 'fund of funds' — I just do not know how they will be held accountable for directly enhancing
NDTV
16-07-2025
- Automotive
- NDTV
Weighing At 8.5 Kg, IIT Madras Launches Lightest Active Wheelchair
New Delhi: The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras on Wednesday launched India's lightest active wheelchair -- YD One -- weighing just 8.5 kgs. YD One is also the country's first indigenously developed precision-built monu-tube rigid-frame wheelchair destined to match the world's best. While the current wheelchairs weigh about 17 kgs, YD One, certified by ISO, weighs just 8.5 kgs. "With YD One, we have achieved 50 per cent weight reduction," Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director IIT Madras, told reporters. "To reduce the weight, researchers and scholars from mechanical to metallurgy got together and built a very interesting composite of carbon fibre plus aluminum," he added, noting that the product has undergone a lot of modelling and stress tests. "It will be available in the market from tomorrow, and is priced at Rs 75,000," Kamakoti said. He noted that a similar 8.5 kg-weighing chair, if imported, will cost around Rs 2,40,000. Importantly, being lightweight, YD One will enable quick movement, quick rotation, and enable people with disabilities to effortlessly lift, handle, and stow in cars, autos, or public transport. YD One will also enable people with disabilities to participate in the Paralympics, the Director said. "I think YD One is going to become very important, and being low-cost, it has the potential to reach rural India," he added, noting that the government may also pitch it, paving the way for a wider reach. Citing the Cabinet's recent fund approved for research, development, and innovation (RDI), Kamakoti stressed the need for supporting startups. IIT Madras currently has 103 startups, and the institute aspires to launch 100 startups every year. "By 2032, we'll have 1,000 startups. I think we will be the most important beneficiary of the RDI scheme. I think Viksit Bharat by 2047, as our honourable Prime Minister says, is going to be a product nation. It's going to be a startup nation. We have to prepare ourselves for that and ensure we are in the right direction," Kamakoti said.
Mid East Info
16-07-2025
- Health
- Mid East Info
Canadian University Dubai to lead three DFF funded projects to advance healthcare innovation - Middle East Business News and Information
Projects to position UAE at the forefront of technology-driven solutions in the healthcare sector Researchers from the Canadian University Dubai (CUD) have been awarded three separate grants from the Dubai Future Foundation (DFF) Research, Development, and Innovation (RDI) Program to advance the application of technologies to improve the health of people in the UAE. CUD faculty will be leading each of the projects, that will develop tools to improve health outcomes and position the UAE at the forefront of technology-driven healthcare solutions. The university's School of Engineering, Applied Science and Technology has secured two grants to support projects aimed at advancing technologies that support diagnostic and therapeutic aspects of healthcare. Led by CUD's Prof. Firuz Kamalov, in collaboration with the Abu Dhabi School of Management and the University of Huddersfield, a team of researchers will pioneer an Explainable Artificial Intelligence system to support the early detection of dementia and to develop an understanding of its potential progression. The project has the capacity to deliver a major step forward in transforming dementia care through AI-driven innovation that can deliver earlier diagnosis to improve patient treatment, guide clinical decisions, and offer vital support to families. Meanwhile, another project in the same School of Engineering Applied Science and Technology is led by Associate Professor, Dr. Haythem El-Messiry, in partnership with researchers from Shandong University and the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence. This project will harness the power of Volume Electron Microscopy (VEM) to enhance biological research capabilities. VEM involves a group of electron microscopy techniques for revealing the 3D ultrastructure of organisms at nanometer resolution. The technology is heralded as a revolutionary advancement in imaging to unravel biological complexity at scale, supporting the progression of research in health sciences. This project aims to develop a fast, robust, and high-precision VEM image processing workflow which can achieve high-throughput and high-resolution large-scale biological 3D structure analysis to effectively bridge the gap between cell biology and tissue biology analysis. A third project in the university's School of Health Sciences and Psychology will embark on a pioneering project to establish a Health Technology Assessment (HTA) System in the UAE, to improve evidence-based decision-making in healthcare. Aiming to digitize health systems and promote multi-sectoral and multidisciplinary approaches, the project will integrate AI and web-based platforms, to enable more informed decisions about the value and reimbursement of health technologies. Led by CUD Assistant Professor, Dr. Mohammed AlKhaldi, the research team will also include CUD Associate Professor, Dr. Wissam Ghash, along with collaborators from McGill University, Canada and University of Bonn, Germany. Each of the projects aims to contribute to the UAE's strategic vision to be a world leader in healthcare and wellbeing. Speaking about the awards, CUD Provost, Dr. Adam Fenech said, 'These grants recognize CUD's leading role in health research and innovation in the UAE and wider region. With the support of Dubai Future Foundation and our institutional partners, we are tackling critical issues in global healthcare. These projects have the potential to establish the UAE as the benchmark for innovations that have impact on a global scale.' ———- About Canadian University Dubai Established in 2006, Canadian University Dubai (CUD) is a higher education institution located in City Walk, Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). The university is the #1 ranking University in Dubai according to the QS World University Rankings 2025. CUD is a diverse and dynamic institution, with over 120 student nationalities. With a reputation for academic excellence, the university offers more than 30 specialized majors, concentrations, and focus area pathways, through over 25 accredited undergraduate and graduate degree programs. The curriculum is Canadian-inspired and serves as a gateway for students to pursue higher education, research, entrepreneurship and employment opportunities in Canada.
The Hindu
09-07-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Watch: How is India's R&D scheme different from China's Thousand Talents Programme?
Earlier this month, India announced a ₹1 lakh-crore plan to spur research & development in the country. About a decade and a half ago, and with a very different objective, China set apart funds for a scheme that was not identical but which has drawn comparison in sections of the Indian media. Was China's Thousand Talents Programme a success? How is India's RDI different? Script & Presentation: K. Bharat Kumar Production: Shibu Narayan
Entrepreneur
09-07-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
India's INR 1 Lakh Crore R&D Push: A Game-Changer for Deep-Tech Startups
This will encourage the private sector to scale up research, development, and innovation (RDI) in sunrise domains and in other sectors relevant for economic security, strategic purposes, and self-reliance You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. Innovative products are the lungs of the business world; however, these products find their foundation in deep Research and Development (R&D). When we look into its market size in India, it shows a significant gap compared to developed economies. According to the Economic Survey 2025, the gross expenditure on R&D (GERD) in India has risen from approximately INR 60,196 crore in FY11 to INR 1,27,381 crore in FY21–22. However, this still represents only 0.64 per cent of the country's GDP, which is significantly lower than that of many other nations that have made substantial advancements in R&D. For example, China, Japan, South Korea, and the US see private enterprises contributing over 50 per cent of their total R&D expenditure. In the US, tech giants such as Google and Amazon alone account for around 70 per cent of the nation's R&D spending. Meanwhile, China's R&D investment, which stands at 2.1 per cent of its GDP, is driven by a combination of substantial government funding and increasing private sector participation. In a new development to bolster R&D in India, the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the Research Development and Innovation (RDI) Scheme, which will provide INR 1 lakh crore to encourage the private sector to scale up research, development, and innovation (RDI) in sunrise domains and in other sectors relevant for economic security, strategic purposes, and self-reliance. Additionally, the scheme will support financing of transformative projects at higher levels of Technology Readiness Levels (TRL), acquisition of technologies critical or of high strategic importance, and facilitate the setting up of a Deep-Tech Fund of Funds. Sunil Shekhawat, CEO of SanchiConnect, strongly believes this scheme will change the fate of emerging tech, especially deep tech. "By unlocking a INR 1 lakh crore corpus through long-term, low‑to-zero‑interest capital, the RDI Scheme addresses the chronic financing bottlenecks that deep‑tech startups and frontier‑tech firms face in India. The introduction of a dedicated Deep‑Tech Fund of Funds further signals a strategic shift from speculative investing to mission‑driven capital deployment, enabling startups to take on riskier, high‑TRL projects." He further added that the early reactions from industry bodies in electronics and space have called this a 'game‑changer' for deep‑tech innovation, noting that it will foster stronger industry-academia collaborations, attract specialist fund managers, and accelerate the commercialisation of cutting‑edge research. "For India's evolving deep‑tech ecosystem, the RDI Scheme doesn't just plug a funding gap; it reshapes the landscape by creating a scalable platform for sustained, government‑backed risk capital, positioning India to emerge as a global hub of technology-led growth." "This isn't just more funding, it's a whole new toolkit that offers affordable capital, expert guidance, and smoother paths from lab ideas to market-ready products. In short, it gives deep‑tech innovators the freedom and support to dream bigger, build better, and compete globally," Ankit Kedia, Founder of Capital-A, added. Further, Chirag Gupta, Managing Partner at 8X Ventures, said, "This scheme represents a transformative leap, directly tackling the longstanding scarcity of capital that has constrained deep-tech innovation in India, particularly the critical 'valley of death' between R&D-led breakthroughs and commercialisation." He also emphasised, "With a clear emphasis on sunrise sectors such as semiconductors, robotics, AI, quantum computing, biotechnology, and clean energy, this move signals India's shift from policy aspirations to impactful execution. This bold initiative significantly enhances our technological sovereignty, positioning India strongly toward achieving the vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047," he concluded.
