Last Updated on 21/03/2021 by Khushi
The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) has opened three space technology incubation centres (S-TICs) at National Institutes of Technology in Nagpur, Bhopal, and Rourkela to provide a forum for aspiring space entrepreneurs. According to TOI, the space agency has already developed three such centres at NITs in Agartala, Jalandhar, and Tiruchirappalli to “explore the entrepreneurship ability” of students in the space domain.
The space agency’s target of opening one S-TIC in each of the country’s six regions was achieved with the launch of three new S-TICs by ISRO chairman K Sivan via a virtual programme on Thursday. Isro has signed an MoU with Visvesvaraya NIT, Nagpur, Maulana Azad NIT, Bhopal, and NIT, Rourkela for the three new incubation centres.
According to the ISRO chairman, the S-TIC idea is conceived with one major academic institute taking the lead in a specific region and offering opportunities to final-year graduate, postgraduate, and research scholars as “future building entrepreneurs”, the ISRO chairman was quoted in a statement.
Students at S-TICs will be able to work on projects that are important to Isro’s current or future missions, and the results of their research will be converted into a proof-of-concept or prototype by industries in their area, according to Isro.
In addition to S-TICs, ISRO has collaborated with educational institutions to develop a number of space technology cells. Sivan had previously told TOI, “These centres will push R&D in space technologies and give a platform to talented youths across the country to come up with bright ideas and to research in those ideas for developing space technologies.”
R Umamaheswaran, ISRO’s scientific secretary, wished that these S-TICs would create a slew of space entrepreneurs and leaders capable of leaving human footprints in deep space.
