EXHIBITIONS
8.18 DRDO has ensured its presence in national and
platform to showcase our strengths and achievements for the industry and the public at large to view. The more important exhibitions covered at the National level were Science on Wheels Exhibition: Vigyan Mail, Indian Science Congress at
Ahmedabad, National Expo at Kolkata, Aero India 2005 at
Bangalore, India International Trade Fair, New Delhi. At the International level Latin America Aero &
Defence at Rio De Janeiro was covered.
BASIC RESEARCH
8.19 Four Research Boards are functioning in DRDO to provide thrust to basic research in areas of strategic importance. These are:
Aeronautical Research &
Development Board (AR&DB);
Armament Research Board
(ARMREB); Naval Research Board (NRB); and Life Sciences Research Board (LSRB). The objectives of these Boards are to promote
research in collaborative mode with academic institutions and other national R&D laboratories, through approval, funding and monitoring of grants-in-aid projects.
8.20 Aeronautical Research &
Development Board (AR&DB): The AR&DB is functioning since February 1971. The Board is currently funding 100 projects with a ceiling of Rs 5 crore per year in upstream area of aeronautics R&D at 25 academic and
research institutions in the country.
Funding distribution is about 48% to Indian Institute of Technology (IITs), 23% to National Aeronautical
Laboratories (NAL), 13% to Indian Institute of Science (IISc), and 16%
to other institutions. Three Centres of Excellence have been set up at IIT, Mumbai, NAL and IISc, Bangalore in the areas of systems design and engineering, composite structure technology and computational fluid dynamics with linkages at other organization.
8.21 Armament Research Board (ARMREB): Under the ARMREB, 70 projects have been sanctioned to various academic institutions and other R&D organizations covering fields of high energy materials, sensors, ballistics, combustion and detonics, modeling/ simulation and other fields related to armaments. Out of these, 30 projects have been completed and remaining are being pursued.
8.22 Naval Research Board (NRB):
The NRB continued to support the basic research applicable to naval/
marine technologies. Since its
inception in 1996, 51 projects at a total cost of Rs 11.03 crore have been accorded to the academic/ research institutions. During the current year 17 more new projects have been
sanctioned for a sum of Rs 4 crore.
8.23 Life Sciences Research Board (LSRB): The LSRB has been
sponsoring research and
development projects to various research institutes in the country for expanding and deepening the
knowledge base of life sciences. So far, a total of 19 projects have been recommended for funding during the current year. Three patents have been filed and one is under process.
Some of the projects supported by LSRB pertain to evaluation of natural products for anti-hypoglycemic activity, flight simulation task
performance, food bio-preservatives, molecular identification, multi drug resistance in cancer, gene
expression in drug resistance, etc.
8.24 Centres of Excellence: DRDO has obtained the Governments approval to establish Centres of Excellence at various universities for creating a strong DRDO academia links, which is considered crucial for driving innovative technological solutions for defence applications.
These Centers would assist DRDO in the highly specialized areas of science.
The following Centres are being set up:- (a) Science and Synthesis of High
Energy Materials for use as Explosives and Propellants.
(b) Science of Polymer Physics especially Polymer Electronics.
(c) Interaction of Microwaves and Matter for Stealth Applications;
(d) Nano-technology based Sensors for NBC Detection;
(e) Nano Opto-electronic Devices;
and
(f) Life Sciences
8.25 DRDO also has an Advanced Technology Cell at Jadavpur University and Joint Advanced Technology Programme (JATP) at Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore for carrying out missile related
research activities.
8.26 Contracts for Acquisition of Research Services (CARS): DRDO has introduced an instrument known as Contract for Acquisition of
Research Services (CARS) for the procurement of research services from academic institutions. Using this instrument a laboratory can seek the expertise and access the facilities of academic institutions. Under this scheme a laboratory is authorized to award a project worth Rs. 10 lakh to an individual or institution. DRDO laboratories are spending nearly Rs.
7 crore per year under CARS.
E X T R A M U R A L R E S E A R C H / I N T E L L E C T U A L P R O P E R T Y RIGHTS
8.27 Extramural Research (ER):
DRDO has close interactions with academic community to enhance availability of research
opportunities to young scientists and
technologists for widening the knowledge. The enhanced extramural funding coupled with
intellectual resources available in academic institutions catalyse the generation and growth of new ideas leading to innovative technologies.
The increased flow of funds galvanise research and scientific temper in the country. Imagination research projects form the focus of extramural research and are
supported under the ER Scheme.
8.28 The ER Scheme has enlarged its academic reach and due care has been taken for availability of intellectual and infrastructural resources there. So far, during the current year, 43 new projects with an aggregate value of Rs.
9.21 crore have been sanctioned. The projects are spread over 28 academic/
research institutions of repute in the country.
8.29 Intellectual Property Right (IPR): To accord selective protective legal cover to intellectual property generated through research activities of DRDO, 75 IPR applications
(including 13 in foreign countries) were filed on products/ processes in the field of materials, electronics, bio- medical sciences and food
technology. During the current year, 40 patents were granted and 50 patents were accepted for grant. In addition, 4 copyrights and 1 design were registered in India. To promote IPR awareness, 8 awareness
programmes/ workshops/ patent- clinics were held in different laboratories.
75 IPR applications (13 in foreign
countries) were filed, 40 patents were granted and 50 were accepted for grant, 4 copyrights and 1 design was registered.