Indian Chemical News (ICN), an online news media covering Chemical, Petrochemical and Pharmaceutical sector is organising an E-conference on "Role of Academia in Enabling Chemical Industry Achieve Newer Heights" on July 16, 2021 from 3:00 - 4:30 PM. 

The speakers lineup for the Academia E-conference include: Prof. G. D. Yadav, Emeritus Professor of Eminence, Institute of Chemical Technology Mumbai; Prof. Gautam Radhakrishna Desiraju, Professor - Solid State and Structural Chemistry Unit, Indian Institute Of Science Bangalore; Dr. R. K. Khandal, President - R&D and Business Development, India Glycols Ltd.; Dr. S. Chandrasekhar, Director, CSIR-IICT; Ashok Panjwani, President, UPL University of Sustainable Technology; Dr. Jhillu Singh Yadav, Provost, Director & Trustee, Indrashil University; Prof. Vajja Sambasiva Rao, Vice Chancellor, SRM University AP; Bijal Mathkar, R&I Director, Solvay Research and Innovation Center India; and Pravin Prashant, Editor, Indian Chemical news.  

The Indian chemical industry is projected to be worth US $304 billion by 2025, registering a CAGR of 9.3% and this will require not only an investment of US $75-100 billion but also a large number of skilled manpower who can focus on new technologies and innovations.  

To achieve this magical number, India needs to revamp its Research & Development effort through a collaborative model of government and private owned educational institutions working in tandem with industries and industry associations to come up with new molecules and chemistries which solves present day requirements and is also cost effective. The academia will also provide quality manpower in all fields to meet the future requirements of the industry. 

The academia needs to focus on new technologies like Electric Vehicle (EV), Biofuel, Hydrogen and others from the perspective of sustainability and renewable based products. Not only this, focus should also be on new technologies and digitization/digitalization so that students are abreast with all these to meet the future requirements of the chemical industry.    

The topics to be discussed during Academia E-conference are: How to remove disconnect between Academia and Industry; Business Models for Academia-Industry linkages; Leveraging low budget through Academia-Industry collaboration; Partnering for new and innovative technologies; Increasing R&D budget step-wise which is win-win for both academia and industry; Making academia and research institutions industry friendly; Any policy changes to enhance collaboration, and Increased focus of government on funding new technologies.