17th November 2022
The conceptualisation of the Bengaluru Science and Technology (BeST) cluster is a collaborative effort of more than 50+ organisations, including major academic institutions, industry partners, start-ups, civil society organisations, and government bodies.
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A proposal for funding for the BeST cluster was submitted with Principal Investigator (PI) Prof Govindan Rangarajan (Director, IISc), and co-PIs Prof Ambarish Ghosh (Professor, IISc) and Dr Taslimarif Saiyed (CEO, CCAMP). The funding was recently sanctioned by the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the Government of India. The BeST cluster was formally launched at the plenary session of the Bengaluru Tech Summit 2022, by the Honourable PSA, Prof Ajay Sood, in the presence of Prof G Padmanaban, former Director of IISc, and Shri S Gopalakrishnan (Kris), Co-founder, Infosys, on 16 November 2022.
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During the launch, Prof Sood emphasised that Bengaluru has enormous technological potential and that the Karnataka state is among the leaders in science and technology advancements. He anticipates that the BeST cluster will pave the path for the future success of such initiatives.
A science and technology cluster is a collaborative ecosystem in a city or a region, in which scientists, engineers, social scientists, and entrepreneurs working in academia, government labs, and industry identify and collaborate to solve some socially relevant problems. Science & Technology (S&T) Clusters are being established as formal umbrella structures for S&T organisations in various cities to work together more effectively while retaining their autonomy. On the recommendation of the Prime Minister’s Science, Technology, and Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC) to build an Atmanirbhar Bharat through S&T, the Office of the PSA supports these initiatives.
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At the launch, co-Lead Dr Taslimarif Saiyed said, “Bangalore is a city of science, innovation and opportunity. The BeST Cluster launch could be a landmark moment for Science and Technology in India and possibly the world. We aim to bring together stakeholders with shared ecosystems, identify and address problems first with locally relevant solutions, but then scale up nationally and internationally by building globally competitiveness. BeST activities will be based on this ground-up pyramid model.”
Co-Lead Prof Ambarish Ghosh said, “Bengaluru Tech Summit is the ideal launchpad for the BeST Cluster. The impact of the BeST cluster can be defined in many ways. In addition to immediate social and economic impact at a city scale, we must also consider the impact on sustainability and being globally competitive.”
The Bengaluru Science and Technology (BeST) Cluster has identified Health & Wellness, Urban Life, and Futuristic Technologies as the sectors, and has set up teams to work in areas of OneHealth, Digital Health, Precision Agriculture, Urban Transportation, Monsoon & Climate Change, Quantum Technologies, Active Matter & Robotics, and Jet Engine. A Section 8 company is being set up to catalyse this collaboration as an independent body, provide organisational support, and raise and manage resources.
CONTACT:
IISc Office of Communications | news@iisc.ac.in
BeST Office | office.best@iisc.ac.in
