Science council to set up centre to facilitate patent filing: Officials

Jammu, October 1

The Jammu and Kashmir Science, Technology and Innovation Council (JKST&IC) is setting up a centre to help researchers protect their intellectual property rights, officials said on Saturday.

The facilitation-cum-information centre is being set up in collaboration with the Union Government’s Department of Science and Technology, a senior official said. Saurabh Bhagat, Commissioner Secretary, Science and Technology, said the centre would encourage the researchers to protect their intellectual property rights.

Speaking at a startup expo inaugurated by Union Minister Jitendra Singh here, the official said the JKST&IC was actively trying to partner with other science and tech councils and the DST for strengthening the science, technology, and innovation ecosystem in the Union Territory. “JKST&IC has started the support for innovation and patent filing scheme wherein it provides financial support to the innovators in the form of seed money that would help them start,” he said.

He said many institutions had been taken in loop for identifying the innovators here in NIT, IIT and other research institutions, so that their ideas could be examined by a scientific advisory committee or technical committee.

The aim is to link them with the International Centre for Entrepreneurship and Technology (Icreate), Ahmedabad, (if their ideas are found worthwhile) for further incubation and convert their ideas into businesses. Bhagat said the JKST&IC has been able to provide financial support to the tune of Rs 5.50 crore to 123 short-term and mid-term research and development projects from various universities. He requested the Union minister to support the council to take up more R&D projects, as many problems were still to be addressed, especially among the rural population.