Case Study of an Industry–Academia Interface

Developing a close interactive relationship with the external world, particularly the industry at large, is a necessary imperative for a technical university, in order to ensure the relevance of the academic curricula and research as well as to generate internal resources for undertaking R&D programmes in new and advanced high technology areas, upgradating infrastructure, and inducting, retaining, and reward high quality members of the faculty. In this regard, the role of the autonomous industry interface institutions and Technology Transfer Organizations (TTO) is of great importance. In this article the evolution of an Indian TTO has been described on the basis of its activities and performances during the first ten years of its existence in the form of a case study. Later, the concept of the transformation of a technical university into a technology enterprise has been briefly elaborated, and the potential role of the TTO in this transformation process discussed. Finally, a number of alternate courses of action that may be required in the changing scenario of the future have been highlighted.