Addressing the gathering, NRDC Chairman and Managing Director Cmde Amit Rastogi (Retd.) reflected on the organisation’s seven-decade-long journey in enabling technology transfer from publicly funded research institutions to industry. He highlighted NRDC’s renewed focus on deep-tech commercialisation and building strong institutional mechanisms to bridge the gap between research outcomes and market deployment.
The CMD underlined that NRDC’s initiatives are closely aligned with national priorities such as Viksit Bharat@2047, Startup India, and Atmanirbhar Bharat, with the objective of creating globally competitive indigenous technologies.
MoU with INCOSE Strengthens Systems Engineering Capability
A key highlight of the Foundation Day celebrations was the exchange of a Memorandum of Understanding between NRDC and the International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE). The MoU aims to foster collaboration in innovation, capability building, and adoption of global best practices in systems engineering.
Officials said the partnership will help enhance the maturity of complex technology development and improve the scalability and deployability of indigenous innovations.
Systems Engineering Facility: A National Platform
The Systems Engineering Facility, inaugurated by Dr N Kalaiselvi, is a national initiative of NRDC established in strategic collaboration with Pimpri Chinchwad College of Engineering, Maharashtra. The facility is designed to support startups, MSMEs, and innovators by institutionalising structured systems engineering practices.
In her address, Dr Kalaiselvi emphasised the importance of systems engineering in managing technological complexity and accelerating innovation. She noted that structured engineering approaches are essential to ensure that indigenous technologies evolve into scalable, validated, and market-ready solutions.
End-to-End Support for Innovators
The SEF will provide end-to-end support across the innovation lifecycle, including requirements analysis, system architecture design, modelling and simulation, system integration, verification, and validation. By bridging the gap between ideas and proven solutions, the facility is expected to significantly reduce risks associated with technology deployment.
NRDC officials said the platform will be particularly beneficial for early-stage startups and MSMEs working on complex, high-impact technologies.
Technology Licensing and Industry Partnerships
The Foundation Day event also highlighted NRDC’s broader mandate of facilitating technology transfer. Technology licensing agreements were exchanged, including an electric tractor technology developed by CSIR–CMERI, West Bengal, licensed to M/s Mistrijee Technologies Pvt Ltd, Patna.
Another agreement involved a sustainable vegan leather alternative developed by CSIR–NIIST, Thiruvananthapuram, licensed to M/s EcoSolutions Pvt Ltd. The material is produced entirely from plant-based resources and agro-residues, supporting sustainable manufacturing.
Seed Funding and MSME Support Initiatives
NRDC announced seed funding support of ₹30 lakh each to VoltWorks Technologies Pvt Ltd for its automotive-grade electric vehicle powertrain solution, and to Tri Nano Technologies for its advanced nano-coating technology for solar panels.
The corporation also launched the MSME–Technology Transfer Facilitation Centre, which provides financial support of up to 70 percent for intellectual property protection and technology acquisition, helping MSMEs reduce innovation costs and accelerate commercialisation.