Industry-Academia NOST Conclave, September 13-14, 2022, Venue: EMBA Hall, SJMSOM, IIT Bombay
Organic Chemistry is an important branch of chemical sciences that
has made significant contributions to our daily lives ranging from the discovery of drugs to advanced technologies such as organic conductors and OLEDS in materials of
the future. Apart from being challenging from the viewpoint of construction of molecules and materials, it certainly is the fountain-head of many important industries
such as pharmaceuticals, polymers, agro-chemicals, dyes, explosives, perfumery chemicals and a host of other fine chemicals and biochemicals. These industries are
indispensable for the production of food, clothing, transport and housing and also our country’s defense and health programs.
Needless to mention, changing times and emerging goals require that Organic Chemistry research in India be exposed to key advances in basic science, interfacial research areas and applied
technologies. This would require that the country produces and nurtures first-rate dedicated organic chemists who are committed to ensure quality of chemical research and that their
training is at par with the best laboratories in the world. One important approach to this daunting task is through the provision of an interactive platform, in the form of a
conference/symposium, where latest advances in Organic Chemistry and related interfacial areas can be discussed and deliberated upon at regular intervals. It is expected that
such an endeavor will benefit our active researchers from academic institutions and cultivate a bridging relationship between academia and industry and stimulate new avenues of
research cooperation. Such a scenario gains further momentum from India’s quest for high competitiveness in science and technology in view of industrial globalization, liberalization
of the Indian economy, its relentless march towards becoming an intellectual powerhouse.
Although seminars and symposia on different aspects of Organic Chemistry are being held in our country from time to time, there was a need for an organization, which can plan and organize
symposia/seminars on a regular basis in Organic Chemistry and related inter-disciplinary areas which are likely to influence and shape research over next few decades. To realize these
objectives, some of the most distinguished organic chemists of our country constituted the creation of a public charitable trust for public benefit and educational purpose,
which was named as “National Organic Symposium Trust” and was registered at Madras on 21st January 1983. Funds were collected from the Government and industries to facilitate
the activities. The first Board of Trustees was (late) Dr. T R Govindachari, Dr. S C Bhattacharya, Dr. Sukh Dev, Dr. S Swaminathan, and Dr. Nitya Anand. The overall management of
the affairs of the Trust shall vest with the Trustees who shall constitute the Governing Body. The Governing Body shall entrust all executive functions with regard to organizing
symposia, seminars, conferences, etc., to a council. The members of the council are relatively younger and very active in research and enjoy widespread reputation. The first NOST
sponsored Organic Chemistry conference (OCC) was held at Hassan in Karnataka during December 4-8, 1988 under the chairmanship of Professor Goverdhan Mehta. Since then, there
had been conferences at regular intervals at different places in the country.
Though Organic Chemistry Conferences and J-NOST meetings are being held regularly, NOST trustees and Council members felt that an Industry-Academia-NOST Conclave should be organized to facilitate and promote the interaction between academia and industry. So, the first such conclave will be held at EMBA Hall at SOM, IIT Bombay during September 13-14, 2022. About 60 participants (25 chemists from industry, 25 organic chemists from academia, NOST trustees and council members) are invited to attend this meeting. There will be 2 special lectures (1 each from academia and industry) which will focus on
Further, there will be 22 lectures of 20 minutes each from leading experts from industry and academia focusing on future challenges. The speakers from Industry are expected to discuss
about creating opportunities for potential collaboration with academia. Secretary-DST, Secretary-SERB and PiC-SINE shall speak about various funding opportunities available for
such collaboration.
Krishna P Kaliappan
Convener
Industry-Academia-NOST Conclave
Local Organising Committee :
Prof. Santosh J. Gharpure
Prof. Chandra M.R. Volla
Prof. Nandita Madhavan