The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) has been awarded the ‘National Intellectual Property Awards 2021 and 2022' by the Indian government for being the top Indian academic institution for patents filing, grants and commercialisation. The award given by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce and Industry includes a trophy, citation and a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh.
Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, conferred the award to Professor V Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, at a function held in New Delhi on October 15. Congratulating the institute faculty, researchers, students and other stakeholders, Professor V Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, said: “For any country to become a world leader, protecting intellectual property is vital. This award has certainly motivated IIT Madras to generate and protect more and more intellectual property of societal impact leading to Atmanirbhar products during the Amrit Kal.”
The National Intellectual Property Awards are conferred annually to recognize and reward the top achievers comprising individuals, institutions, organizations and enterprises, for their Intellectual Property (IP) creations and commercialisation, which have contributed towards strengthening the IP ecosystem in the country and in encouraging creativity and innovation.
Highlighting the institute's initiatives to strengthen IP Filing, Professor Manu Santhanam, Dean (Industrial Consultancy and Sponsored Research), IIT Madras in a statement said: “IIT Madras provides a fantastic research and innovation environment, which brings the best out of our scientists (faculty, staff and students). The IP Office of IC&SR also provides a complete support for the filing and technology transfer to the faculty members. Access to the relevant search tools and high quality patent attorneys aids our patent filing efforts."