Barc centre to make technology market-friendly

The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (Barc) will set up the Barc Centre for Incubation of Technologies (Barcit) for better interaction with the industry and understanding the market needs.

The work on four technology incubation cells in water, biotechnology, scientific and medical equipment, and e-beam applications will help convert Barc research and development know-how to commercial use with help from various industries, Srikumar Banerjee, Barc director, said. Barcit, expected to start in a couple of months, is part of the societal initiatives of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE).

Developing a technology, necessary equipment, and support documents might complete the technical aspect, said Banerjee, but it does not necessarily mean it will be user-friendly and ready for the market. And that is why interacting with the industry, which has a better understanding of the market, is needed.

“The industry may otherwise shy away from investing their time and effort which is all that we are asking for,” Banerjee said. “In an incubation centre, the industry will become a partner to the development and growth. Since you need to have a certain period for knowledge transfer, the industry partner can start working on it, create a business model, and eventually take it outside.”

Also, there’s a possibility of the technology dying without any contact with the industry. “Such a centre helps to establish a direct contact and know the people who are involved in developing a particular technology,” he said. Though Barc has transferred technologies
earlier, Barcit will formalise the process.