IIT Kharagpur unveils ‘Impact RISE’ initiative for societal change

“Our Platinum Jubilee vision is to build in our labs, pilot in our campus, and extend sustainable technologies and impact models to the whole world,” Prof Chakraborty said.

Speaking at the Constitution Club of India in Delhi on Tuesday, Prof Chakraborty pointed to the need for institutions like IIT Kharagpur to move beyond research papers and become leaders in impact. He spoke of challenges like contaminated groundwater, anaemia, and climate vulnerability, and referred to the need for research and partnerships for solutions to these issues.

The Impact RISE initiative will have four pillars – research, innovation, skilling, and entrepreneurship. It will involve research aligned with sustainable development goals and India’s climate and development priorities. The initiative will be activated through missions focusing on climate resilience in the Sundarbans; the use of IIT Kharagpur’s AI health diagnostics; women’s health with a focus on low-cost devices for screening of anaemia and oral cancer; the use of arsenic filters and smart soil scanners to provide safe water; scaling aqueous aluminium-ion batteries and autonomous agri-robots to reduce farm losses and create rural micro-grids.

Prof Chakraborty called for partnerships with governments, corporations, alumni, and international agencies, urging them to join the initiative, with a focus on integrating IIT Kharagpur technologies into missions, funding projects, and managing community engagement.

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