Keeping in view an urgent need to accelerate innovation and bridge the skills gap, the collaboration between industry and academia needs to gain momentum. Companies must increase partnerships with universities and research institutions to co-develop advanced technologies, foster applied research, and align curricula with evolving industry needs.

Leading industry experts deliberated upon the various aspects of industry academia collaborations at the fourth session, 'Industry & Academia: Forging Strategies to Expedite Innovation & Skill Development ’ at the maiden edition of Chem & Petchem Conference 2025 organized by the Indian Chemical News on May 07-10, 2025 at Baruch in Gujarat.

The session was moderated by Sonal Thakker, Partner, Hunt Partners – India.

“Whenever we revise a  curriculum or design a syllabus, there is a process. Every course has a course outcome and every program has a program outcome. After the course is completed, there are outcomes and mapping done in terms of how much students have understood. If the mapping is less than the threshold, then the syllabus has to be revised. There also are industry members who provide their inputs based on industry trends that are incorporated in the syllabus. Learning is lifelong and we have to keep ourselves updated and we have to keep upskilling. These days there are courses available online and industries are also helping their employees to finish certification courses. Industry has the resources and if it becomes a partner in life long learnings then the outcomes will be manyfold than universities or academia doing it alone. In terms of startups, there is a passion among students and it drives them to create innovations with less resources. Passion is the main ingredient followed by the subject knowledge of chemistry and environment including incubation and mentors,” said Dr. Santosh Narayankhedkar, Dean of Academics, Somaiya Vidyavihar University.

"Though there are a few examples of successful industry and academia collaboration in the chemical sector, there is a vast potential that remains untapped. There is a gap, then there is a course and an approach. If there is a problem, there is a lacuna from both sides but largely the industry has to take the initiative because it can’t do without the skilled workforce. The reason why innovations are unable to reach their full potential is because innovators might not be aware about the scaling up, market knowledge and commercialisation aspects. If one has to cross the valley of death, there is a need for collaboration. We have lost a lot of technologies because of the barriers. Fast-tracking the process of research needs a model where innovation has an impact in terms of commercialisation. We don’t have a systematic procedure to run things from industry to academia and vice versa. Once the collaboration is established, there must be regular monitoring. I believe if the ESG and CSR are being made compulsory, the research too must be made compulsory," said Dr. Hemal Mehta, Head - R&D, Deccan Fine Chemicals (India).

“The collaboration between industry and academia is very important. Nowadays the government is promoting various scholarships and schemes to foster collaboration between industry and academia. The talent pool which needs to be created by the industry is the most important thing and if it creates a succession then it will be a win-win situation for both industry and academia in the longer run,” said Chhayank Patel, Team Leader – Human Resources, Saint-Gobain India. 

The Chem & Petchem Conference 2025 themed 'Viksit Gujarat: Visit Bharat@2047’ witnessed massive attendance by leading industry experts and stakeholders across Gujarat and India. The 12 sessions at the two day event were addressed by by a total of 76 speakers and more than 600 delegates.

The conference was supported by Academia partner - Somaiya Vidyavihar University; Platinum partners -- PremierTech Systems & Automation, ABB India, and Netradyne; Gold partners - Tvarit GmbH (Germany), SNF Flopam India, Alleima India, AMETEK Land Instruments International, BEIL, UPL University of Sustainable Technology, Forbes Marshall, Utthunga Technology, Syinfotech, Servilink Systems, Graphite India, Thermax, Gem Machinery & Allied Industries and Thermax; Associate partners - Diyani Automation, Flaminia Ecarb India, LAPP India, Goodrich Gasket, and GD Waldner; Industry Association partners - Gujarat Chemical Association (GCA), Jhagadia Industries Association (JIA), Dahej Industries Association (DIA) and Alkali Manufacturers Association of India (AMAI).