Venture Center collaborates with UNIDO and BEE to enhance technology transfer in India

New Delhi: Venture Center has partnered with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE). This collaboration aims to strengthen technology transfer offices across Indian institutions, enhancing the commercialization of innovations and fostering industry-academia collaborations.

The partnership aligns with UNIDO and BEE’s ongoing initiative, the Facility for Low Carbon Technology Deployment (FLCTD). This project has successfully supported over 30 climate-tech startups, providing innovative solutions for various industrial and commercial sectors. A key focus of the FLCTD project is to ‘de-risk’ innovations, allowing startups to effectively commercialize their products.

Venture Center’s involvement will facilitate the sharing of knowledge on technology de-risking and commercialization. They will develop a comprehensive handbook and training programs tailored for practitioners, startups, faculty, research and development personnel, and government officials engaged in technology transfer.

Sandeep Tandon, National Project Manager of the FLCTD Project at UNIDO, expressed, “Climate change is a global threat, and innovative technological solutions will be needed in the coming years and decades in all sectors of the economy to reduce the energy and environmental footprints. Building on the experiences in climate tech innovation and over a decade of the stellar record of Venture Center, this partnership will bring forth a unique and foundational capacity-building programme that will benefit the research, technology transfer professionals and start-ups alike.”

Dr. Premnath, Founder Director of Venture Center, stated, “We are excited to partner with UNIDO and BEE to raise the knowledge and case study experiences of Indian tech transfer offices. This will be critical as India transforms into an innovation-led economy in the coming years!”

He added, “Translation and deployment of research-based technologies from academic organisations will be important to address society’s most important problems in the coming years, including climate change, energy security, food security, affordable health, etc., and tech transfer professionals will be key playmakers!”

Over the next ten months, Venture Center will implement the initiative with the guidance of both international and national experts in technology transfer. Notable mentors include Dr. Ashley Stevens (former Boston University), Dr. John Fraser (former Florida State University and Simon Fraser University), and Dr. Richard Cahoon (former Cornell University) — all distinguished members of the American Association of University Technology Managers.