Rourkela, Apr 9: With the aim of promoting awareness, increasing innovation and developing skills on Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) across various sectors of the community in India, the Intellectual Property Innovation Centre (IPIC) of NIT Rourkela is celebrating World Innovation Day 2024 this month by organizing and hosting a 5-day workshop on "Unlocking Innovation: IPR Awareness, Strategies and Challenges" during April 8-12, 2024.

World Innovation Day is celebrated internationally each year on April 21st. This day was established by the United Nations to honour the creative and innovative activities of people around the world. The event commenced on Monday with an inaugural function at PP Auditorium-NITR and was graced by Prof. M. Padmavati (Rajiv Gandhi School of IP Law, IIT Kharagpur) as the Chief Guest. More than 150 participants from different parts of the country are attending the workshop in hybrid (Offline & Online) mode.

The programme started with a welcome address by Prof. Sujit Sen (Member-Secretary of IPIC). He said, "This unique workshop offers an opportunity for undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral students, faculty members, aspiring innovators, entrepreneurs, MSMEs, and representatives from various industries to delve into different aspects of Intellectual Property (IP). Participants will gain insights into drafting, patenting procedures, copyright, trademarks, technology transfer, and more through lectures by distinguished speakers, experts, interactive sessions, and hands-on training."

Prof. Saurav Chatterjee (Chairperson, IPIC) said, “IPIC-NITR facilitates all faculties, students and staff of NIT Rourkela to protect their invention in the form of patents, design etc. Presently, we are in the process of commissioning online portal submission for the application of invention disclosure by our faculty. IPIC proudly announces 55 granted patents and close to 130 patents filed till now.”

The session followed a much-awaited talk by the Chief Guest, Prof. M. Padmavati. With more than seventeen years of teaching and research experience in IPR, Prof. M. Padmavati specializes in patents. She has been awarded by the World Intellectual Property Forum with the title of “Most Powerful Women in IP 2023”. She has many research as well as consultancy projects, from the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Ministry of MSME, Department of Science and Technology etc.

Speaking to the audience, she expressed her delight at witnessing the progress of intellectual property (IP) related work and grants received by NIT Rourkela. She emphasized the importance of fostering innovation by proposing the initiative of 'One Student, One IP, Half Yearly,' aiming to align with the national vision of development by 2047.

She further said, “It is so proud to see that even higher secondary students are filing for designing patents in our country. Due to the fast-track and systematic process adapted by IP authorities in our country, the filing process has never been this easy and systematic. While the USA established its Patent and Trademark Office in 1790, India enacted its first independent patent law in 1970. Therefore, we need to work unitedly to raise awareness and advocate for the legal protection of our ideas and innovations in order to bridge this gap. I urge women innovators to step forward and register their ideas, as the filing fee for patents is exempted for them. This will provide greater recognition for women in the field of innovation.”

The event then marked the unveiling of an online portal for the NITR community, inaugurated by Prof. Swadesh Kumar Pratihar (Dean SRICCE, NITR) and Prof. Manoj Kumar Mishra (President, FTBI-NITR). Designed by Prof. Anup Nandy and the Automation Cell of NIT Rourkela, the portal streamlines the IP filing process, providing applicants with ease within 15-20 days of initial submission.

Detailing on the 5-day workshop lined up sessions, Dr. Poonam Singha (Event Organising Secretary) concluded the event with a vote of thanks. The first-day event will have expert lectures by Dr. T. Pavan Kumar {Senior Scientist (Chemistry & IPR) at CSIR-IIMT}, and by Prof. Shreya Matilal from Rajiv Gandhi School of IP Law, IIT Kharagpur. This 5-day workshop will have lectures on “Basics of IPR”, “Innovations for Academic & Research”, “Patent Litigation and Case Studies”, “Artificial Intelligence and IPRs”, “Licensing, Commercialization and Rules”, Innovation in Biotechnology and Chemical Sciences” and many other relevant topics.

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