Gandhinagar: Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani today approved Rs.50-crore Science & Technology Innovation (STI) Fund to provide assistance up to Rs.50-lakh to UGC and AICTE recognised central and state universities and colleges for a maximum period of three years to develop latent talents, encourage creativity research and development in strategic fields in the knowledge-based ecosystem.

The Gujarat Government had earlier announced similar assistance under the Biotechnology Policy and IT Policy.

Gujarat Government’s Science & Technology Department has identified Gujarat Council of Science & Technology (GUJCOST) to implement the scheme, in fields to be decided by the Gujarat Government for solving major problems faced by the state. It fructified as a result of Rupani’s visit to Israel. It is more for applied research, rather than basic. It is to create scientific temper, create sensitivity towards the state’s problems among students and teachers, capacity building of researchers – help the industries and the economy.

Gujarat thus becomes the first state to create such a fund for high-end technology and innovation, artificial intelligence, robotics, biotechnology, polymers and special materials, Nano technology, internet of things (IOT), energy storage, waste treatment and management, pollution abatement, sustainable habitat and nutrition sensitive research.

The initiative is aimed at assisting thousands of researchers or groups of researchers, after evaluation by experts and advisory committees, being constituted. The fund can be availed by state government assisted, grant-in-aid and others organisations working on non-commercial basis. Norms will be fixed for issues related to Intellectual Property.

The state’s Science & Technology Department also resolved for networking for collaboration and multi-sectoral coordination.

– Information