Industry leaders argue that while India boasts strong academic institutions and a rising industrial base, the lack of structured, outcome-oriented partnerships is holding back the development of indigenous technologies and high-value products. To truly unlock future growth, stakeholders must invest in long-term collaborations that foster innovation, accelerate commercialization, and build a talent pipeline aligned with evolving market needs.

Industry experts discussed the subject recently at the seventh session of 5th edition of the NextGen Chemicals and Petrochemicals Summit 2025 themed ‘Preparing for the future' in Mumbai on June 18-19, 2025.

The session titled ‘Industry-Academia Partnership: Imperative for Future Growth’ was moderated by Anjani Prasad, Managing Director and Vice President Textile Effects, South Asia, Archroma highlighted the critical need for improved industry academia collaboration with updation of knowledge on latest trends.

“We have just a couple of decades left to meet our $3 trillion target, and the clock is ticking. For that, we must accelerate both talent development and innovation. However, there is a clear disconnect between what academia is researching and what the industry actually needs. Building a strong, outcome-oriented synergy between industry and academia is critical, without redundancy and with shared priorities. Process innovation is crucial for industry growth, but safety cannot be compromised in the process. India still faces a significant trade deficit due to higher imports than exports. ESG imperatives will increasingly shape the future of our industry, and we must proactively address environmental and ecological challenges. Governance is another key aspect, especially in the chemical sector where regulatory compliance is complex. These governance principles need to be part of academic curricula to ensure industry-ready talent. Moreover, the future will be shaped by digitization and AI, and academia must keep pace. Intellectual Property (IP) protection is vital, industries will only invest in collaborative research when they know their innovations are safeguarded. IP is a critical asset, and academic institutions must strengthen their legal frameworks to foster trust and long-term partnerships.” 

Prof. Aniruddha B. Pandit, Vice Chancellor, Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai emphasized on the increased interaction between the industry academia.

“An academic institution engaged in teaching and research enhances its relevance only when it actively engages with industry. When faculty members spend time in industrial settings, they gain firsthand understanding of real-world challenges and can design short, mid, and long-term research projects that offer practical solutions. Often, there is a disconnect between academia and industry because they speak different languages. While academics are focused on publications and discoveries, industry prioritizes outcomes that improve the bottom line. Academics must learn to align their research with the financial and operational impacts desired by industry. Like the chemical sector itself, academic institutions are multidisciplinary—no single department can address all the challenges across chemistry, engineering, or management. It’s important for companies to engage with the entire institute rather than only one department. At ICT, we operate under an umbrella MoU that allows industries to pursue specific collaborations with clarity. Equally important is understanding how to frame MoUs. Regular interaction helps build that mutual understanding. When defining the scope of a project, it must be clearly stated which aspects can be published and which need to remain confidential. Transparency from the beginning is key to a successful partnership.”

Dr. Raman Ramachandran, Dean & Director, K J Somaiya Institute of Management,Somaiya Vidyavihar University stressed on the need for curated, outcome-oriented academic programs to meet industry’s evolving talent needs and address talent crunch.

“There is a growing recognition among industries that startups are key drivers of innovation. However, this culture of innovation is yet to fully take root due to limited collaboration, lack of mutual understanding, and concerns over intellectual property protection. We can take inspiration from German MSMEs, which have successfully driven innovation by closely partnering with academia, despite inherent risks. Some institutions are stepping up as facilitators by linking industry with the right academic expertise and even supporting funding initiatives. On the talent front, we still face a significant gap in skilled workforce. For instance, when approached by the polymer industry to help bridge this gap, we co-created a one-year industry-aligned program tailored to their needs. Business leaders today must possess not only management skills but also a sound understanding of technology. Similarly, engineering professionals often need managerial capabilities, which we can provide through specialized courses. Another pressing concern is gender diversity. To address this, we launched the ‘We Chemie’ initiative in collaboration with BASF and the Indian Chemical Council to promote greater participation of women in the chemical sector. Under this, we train young women chemistry graduates for 45 days in industry-relevant skills. I’m proud to share that over 95% of participants across three batches have secured employment. There is a clear and urgent need for curated, outcome-oriented academic programs to meet industry’s evolving talent needs.”

Dr Kamlesh Pai Fondekar, Head - Research & Development, Godrej Agrovet Ltd. pointed out why industry must leverage the strengths offered by academia to address its R&D issues rather than doing it all alone.

“Academic institutions are primarily responsible for education and fundamental research, while industry applies this knowledge to gain a competitive edge. The challenge lies in bridging their differing expectations as academia often seeks greater funding and intellectual property rights, while industry focuses on cost-effective, practical solutions. From an industry standpoint, when developing a new molecule, the product lifecycle involves several stages, be it development, launch, growth, maturity, and decline. The key focus, especially during the launch phase, is speed to market. Studies show that a delay in launching a product can result in a 33% loss in potential profits, whereas overspending by even 50% may only reduce profits by 3%. That’s why timely collaboration with academia can be highly beneficial. There are also opportunities for academic partnerships in the maturity phase, where stability and efficiency become important, and even in the decline phase, where repurposing products for alternate uses is a viable strategy. No company can or should attempt to do everything alone as academia-industry collaboration is essential across all phases of innovation and commercialization.”

Dr Anubhav Saxena, Chief - R&D Office, Pidilite Industries Ltd. shared a few specific examples on the industry academia efforts being promoted by the government and industry alike.

“Over the past 8 to 10 years, the government has made significant strides in fostering collaboration between academia, industry, and public institutions—often referred to as the ‘triple helix’ model. Initiatives like the ‘Manthan’ platform, led by the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, are helping both large corporations and MSMEs build innovation capabilities. While academic institutions are engaged in fundamental research and some have established research parks, the real bottleneck lies in scaling up these innovations. Only a handful of institutions have succeeded in doing so effectively. Programs like ‘Professor of Practice’ at ICT Mumbai are a step forward, but most IIT chemistry departments still lack direct industry engagement. Some sunrise sectors have begun bridging this gap with tailor-made programs. BITS Pilani has introduced courses aligned with industry needs, and Tata Motors has partnered on an M.Tech program in electric vehicles. Internships can also serve as a foundational step, especially since they bypass complex issues like IP rights. Structural changes are necessary to institutionalize these partnerships. The government has already established several Centres of Excellence and national missions, such as the Semiconductor Mission. However, to realize their full potential, industry must co-own these efforts. Capabilities cannot be built in silos. We must avoid creating more COEs without clearly defining their objectives and governance frameworks.”

Pratish Koparkar, CHRO, Epsilon Carbon Pvt. Ltd. offered a candid assessment of the evolving talent landscape within India’s manufacturing and chemical sectors, emphasizing the growing urgency around skilling, recruitment, and retention.

“Finding the right talent is arguably one of the most pressing challenges faced by the industry today,” he said. “This gap spans both ends of the spectrum, from hiring fresh graduates to onboarding lateral talent with specialized skills. While Epsilon Carbon hired over 70 fresh graduates last year, the recruitment process remains highly region-specific, underscoring the geographical disparity in talent availability. It’s not just about hiring numbers but the real challenge lies in developing these young professionals into tomorrow’s leaders. That journey begins with academia. Institutes need to ensure students are better aligned with real-world industry expectations from day one. To address the skill gaps among mid-career professionals, we have undertaken collaborative upskilling efforts. One such initiative is a joint executive development programme with the Indian School of Business (ISB), aimed at sharpening leadership and technical capabilities. We recently entered into a strategic collaboration with Tufts University, focused on research in green materials for battery technologies. This is a strong example of how industry-academia partnerships can simultaneously drive innovation and build future-ready capabilities. In manufacturing, the need for skilled and vocational talent is enormous. Unfortunately, there are too few institutes today that adequately cater to this demand. To truly unlock the potential of India’s industrial growth, we must urgently invest in expanding vocational education, building stronger partnerships with academia, and rethinking how we prepare the workforce of the future.”

Dr Jagannath Jadhav, Assistant Vice President (R&D and Business Development), Indo Amines Ltd. stressed the urgent need for academia to keep pace with the evolving needs of the chemical industry through more agile and dynamic curriculum updates.

“In today’s rapidly changing technological environment, reviewing academic curricula every 10 years is no longer sufficient. The pace of innovation demands that we revise course content at least every two years to ensure students are equipped with the latest knowledge, tools, and industrial practices. Our R&D partnership with ICT has been very fruitful. We've found that while the majority of products in the market are still based on existing molecules, there remains immense untapped potential for breakthrough innovation. Developing new molecules is a long, resource-intensive process, but it’s essential for advancing the industry. To address this, Indo Amines has been actively investing in academia through sponsored research projects and talent development initiatives. We have supported several academic research projects that align with our business objectives. Moreover, we’ve identified and nurtured high-potential students, providing them opportunities to work on real-world problems. Many of these individuals have grown within our organization, taking on critical roles in R&D and business development. Our continued association with academic institutions has been a highly successful one and we will continue to engage with academia.” 

The 5th edition of NextGen Chemicals and Petrochemicals Summit 2025 themed ‘Preparing for the future' witnessed massive attendance by leading industry experts and stakeholders from pan India. The 12 sessions at the two-day event were attended by a total of 85 speakers and more than 500 delegates. 

The Country Partner of the event was Flanders Investment & Trade. The State Partner was Andhra Pradesh Economic Development Board (EDB). The Principal Partner was DCM Shriram Chemicals. The Gold Partners included Revvity Signals, Ingenero, Tubacex, GloGreen, BTG (A Voith company), Gujarat Fluorochemicals, Excel Industries, Epsilon Carbon, Aquapharm, HPCL, BPCL, and WoodField.

The Associate Partners were Zodiac Tank Container Terminals, ReGreen Excel and AnalytikJena. The Supporting Partner was Archroma. 

Industry Association Partners of the event included AMAI, CropLife, Gujarat Chemical Association, and Agro Chem Federation of India.