ISRO-NIT Rourkela Signs MoU To Set Up Space Technology Incubation Center

The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Rourkela have signed an MoU for the establishment of the Space Technology Incubation Center (S-TIC).

The MoU was signed on Thursday after ISRO agreed to set up a Space Technology Incubation Center (S-TIC) at NIT Rourkela. This collaboration with ISRO will open up new opportunities for research and development as well as space start-ups, NITs, Rourkela.

S-TIC will nurture youth education with innovative research qualifications to advance research and product development in the field of space technology and applications. NIT Rourkela will provide its state of the art laboratories, facilities and specialist faculties to fulfill this objective.

Undoubtedly, S-TIC at NIT Rourkela will promote, encourage and encourage capacity building, innovations and research activities of Odisha, West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand and Andaman and Nicobar across the entire eastern region of our country. He said that this S-TIC will be able to manufacture applications and products that can be used in future space missions.

This will provide a huge opportunity for academia to collaborate with industries in the space technology sector initiated by ISRO and contribute to the Atmanbir India campaign.

ISRO will provide an annual grant-a-aid of 2 2 crores for 2 years to NIT-R as seed money for the establishment of STIC. The seed money will be used for research projects taken from ISRO and facility enhancement to pursue product development. NIT Rourkela will provide the necessary infrastructure inside its educational campus.

Director CBPO, ISRO Headquarters, Drs. PV Venkatakrishnan said in his address at the virtual meeting that the objective of setting up six STICs in different parts of the country is to strengthen the industry academic ecosystem and encourage space technology startups.

Prof. Animesh Biswas, Director, NIT Rourkela said, “I heartily thank the ISRO Chairman and Director to CBPO ​​for selecting NIT Rourkela in the Eastern Region for the establishment of S-TIC. Sponsored Research and Industrial of NIT Rourkela Consulting is one of the best in the country. The support of ISRO will further enhance our research infrastructure. “A dedicated space has been allotted for the establishment of the Space Technology Incubation Center at our Golden Jubilee building at NIT Rourkela. New facilities are to be built at the Space Technology Incubation Center to carry forward the development of ISRO projects, products / prototypes.

Dr. KK Sivan, Chairman, ISRO and Secretary, Department of Space, congratulated NIT Rourkela on the occasion. He also underlined that research related to space technology and STIC’s products will be used in future space missions and it will help in nation building through the Atmanbir India mission in space technology and applications domain.