S. Vishnu Sharma
IIT Madras PTF is partnering with start-ups for various strategic initiatives in emerging technologies. The aspects of this collaboration are – Industry oriented skilling in niche technologies by start-ups, Project execution in niche areas such as AI, ML and Data Science.
The MoU was signed recently between IIT Madras PTF and five startups – Crion Versity, Dataswitch, Neekan Consulting, Rudram Dynamics and Skill Angels.
Those present on the occasion include Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, Prof. Mangala Sunder Krishnan, Professor Emeritus, IIT Madras, Dr. MJ Shankar Raman, CEO, IIT Madras PTF and Mr. Balamurali Shankar, General Manager, Digital Skills Academy, IIT Madras.
Importance
Highlighting the importance of this initiative, Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, said, “Start-ups must become leading employers and look at IIT Madras for their talent requirements.
Start-ups in skilling sector should intervene early with students and impart cognitive ability, foundational maths and science skills for their success in higher education.
IIT Madras PTF is a Section 8 Company housing the Technology Innovation Hub on Sensors, Networking, Actuators and Control Systems. It is funded by Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, under its National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems and hosted by IIT Madras.
Collaboration
Speaking about this collaboration, Dr. MJ Shankar Raman, CEO, IIT Madras PTF, said, “We will work with these start-ups on niche areas like Drone pilot training, Data analytics, AI/ML and Generative AI.
Our clients come to us for insights on their complex and sensitive unstructured data. We leverage startups like DataSwitch for such requirements, said Prof Shankar Raman of IIT Madras.
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He further said one of their partners, Neekan Consulting, is a Technology, Process and Marketing consulting company enabling SMBs and start-ups in all industry domains.
They work with us on Product and Program management apart from skilling freshers and make them job ready. Similarly, SkillAngels (based out of IIT Madras research park) uses gamification, animation and adaptive learning strategies for Cognitive assessments and upskilling, said Prof Shankar Raman.
Outcomes
The important outcomes expected from this collaboration include:
1. Newer ways of understanding cutting edge technologies through contents and platform belonging to start-ups
2. Developing point solutions for nice problem areas in AI, ML and Data science
Combination
Balamurali Shankar, General Manager, Digital Skills Academy of IIT Madras PTF, said these start-ups have a combination of academic and industry expertise and thereby giving a good learning experience to the students. One of our partners, Crion Versity, founded by IIT Madras Alumni and come with a rich experience of running a digital twin organization Crion Technologies at IITM Research Park.
Their flagship career experience programs provide engaging short form learnings on job skills in areas such as Data Analytics, he said.
Mr. Balamurali Shankar also mentioned that Rudram Dynamics offers specialized in programs such as drone pilot training, B2G (Business to Government) analytics programs as well as Cyber Law. With all these start-ups coming together, students and industry professionals have a variety of choices to upskill in their respective domains.
About IIT Madras PTF
IIT Madras PTF is a section 08 Company housing the Technology Innovation Hub on Sensors, Networking, Actuators, and Control Systems (SNACS). We are committed to transforming the frontiers of knowledge.
Its start-up ecosystem is the nurturing space of brilliant professionals, Innovative entrepreneurs, curious young talents, and inquisitive students. With world-class infrastructure, equipment, and experienced mentors, we have everything to offer for the technology-hungry brains.
IIT Madras PTF is funded by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, under its National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems, and hosted as a Technology Innovation Hub (TIH) by IIT Madras.
The NM-ICPS is a comprehensive Mission aimed at complete convergence with all stakeholders by establishing strong linkages between academia, industry, Government, and International Organizations.