Setting the Bar High: IIT Kanpur gets 400 Patents

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G.P. Varma

Kanpur, 31 October:The Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IITK) has set a benchmark through its outstanding Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) activities along with an exceptional technology translation percentage of 13.76%.

The number of IPRs filed and granted at IITK till date has exceeded 1,000 filings and more than 400 granted IPRs.

The accomplishment of voluminous IPR filings is a testament to the Institute’s progressive approach through Research and Development, the translational activities at the Institute have gained a momentum in the recent past, the technology transfer rate of around 14% from the gross IPR filings at the Institute is symbol of cutting-edge technological development.

Prof S. Ganesh, Officiating Director, IIT Kanpur* said, “IIT Kanpur’s remarkable achievement of surpassing 1,000+ filings and securing 400+ patents is a testament to the unwavering dedication and relentless commitment of its world class faculty, researchers and innovators. This remarkable milestone underscores the institution’s pursuit of excellence in advancing knowledge and pushing the boundaries of innovation.”

According to Prof. Tarun Gupta, Dean, Research and Development, IIT Kanpur “Both the faculty and students have played a significant role in this achievement. The IPR Cell at IIT Kanpur that was established in the year 2000 with the primary goal of facilitating patent filing and maintenance to safeguard the research and development efforts undertaken within the institution has contributed to the commendable benchmark.”

The IPR Cell serves as a crucial intermediary connecting IIT Kanpur with industry partners for technology transfer and licensing initiatives. It also plays a vital role in supporting the disclosure of cutting-edge technologies to industry partners, with the ultimate aim of enabling the widespread adoption of these technologies on a larger scale.

The institute has licensed certain featured technologies that have created a great impact on the society, such as the ‘Bhu Parikshak’, a portable soil testing device licensed to Agronxt Services Pvt. Ltd. that can test up to 1 lakh soil test samples and the has helped more than 1 million farmers during the first year after launch.

Some other notable products include Checko, an anti-counterfeiting solution that helps to identify counterfeit products and licensed to Transpack Technologies and a patent design of convertible school bag has been licensed to PROSOC Innovators Pvt. Ltd, where more than 5,50,000 students across 20 states in India have been happy customers.

The IP and technology transfer office of IIT Kanpur focuses on building a culture of IP creation among students as well as faculty members. Various awareness programs and workshops are conducted to overcome some challenges to IP creation. The office also manages the tech transfer activities and commercialization of the technologies developed at IIT Kanpur wherein the Institute helps to promote and license innovations for the benefit of public and overcome the prevailing challenges in the country. The objective is to facilitate commercialization of technologies through industry partners and start-up entrepreneurs and provide the right space and opportunities by converting their ideas into products and businesses, encouraging Make In India.