To further strengthen its engineering research and development landscape, Karnataka has launched Engineering Research and Development (Engineering R&D) Policy 2021.
The policy is aimed to sustain and augment the State’s leadership in engineering R&D and also to attract R&D entities to invest in the State.
The policy identifies priority sectors such as aerospace & defence, auto, auto components and EV, biotechnology, pharma and medical devices, semiconductors, telecom, ESDM and software products.
The State is home to over 400 leading R&D centres/GCCs. The policy aims to retain this position, generation of intellectual properties (IPs), and to make this as skilled knowledge capital, Narayana pointed out.
Incentives
The policy envisages an engineering R&D Fund to support innovation, R&D infrastructure programme to create and strengthen the testing and prototyping, innovation labs programme to encourage open innovation, digital innovation for services challenges to encourage technology interventions that have a social impact. Applied research in academia to support industrial application.
The policy offers the following incentives: Rental reimbursement, recruitment assistance and investment subsidy for setting up or expanding in and beyond Bengaluru Urban District.
Future skills
In terms of human resources, it will develop engineering R&D future skills courses and promote the adaptation of these courses in State Government Engineering Universities/Affiliated Colleges.
To promote internships to bridge the gap between academic skills and the needs of the Engineering R&D industry, the State government will reimburse 50 per cent of the internship stipend for a period of 3 months, up to ₹10,000 per month per intern. The entity will offer internship to 33 percent women candidates and consider 30 percent of the total interns into full-time employment.
CM Research Fellowship programme will be designed to provide a monthly stipend and an annual research grant to students in PhD programmes related to Engineering R&D. The State government will provide a monthly stipend of ₹70,000 for the first-two years, ₹75,000 for the third year and ₹80,000 for the fourth year and annual research grant of ₹2 lakh for students enrolled in Karnataka. In each batch 25 per cent of women candidates shall be considered for this offering.