Chennai: A total of 293 students graduated at the ninth convocation of the Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design and Manufacturing (IIITDM) Kancheepuram, held virtually on Friday.
The Institute is planning to launch a M.Tech. in Mechanical Engineering with a specialisation in AI and Robotics, and M.Tech. in Power Electronics and System Design shortly.
This year, it commenced an M.Tech. programme in Computer Science with specialization in Data Science and AI.
Delivering the convocation Address, DRDO Chairman and Secretary, Department of Defence (R and D) G Satheesh Reddy said ‘Today, the country is looking for innovation from youngsters to come out with the products of first-of-its- class in the world… What is that which can make this country prosperous?’
‘It is the technology which can make this country prosperous. And for the country to become prosperous, the seed is with the institutes like IIITDM where people have to learn science and technology and come out with design and manufacturing where lot of innovation comes out’, he said.
Elaborating on how DRDO can support such innovation, Dr. Satheesh Reddy said, ‘DRDO has got a scheme called ‘Technology Development Funding.’ It funds youngsters who are coming out of the colleges as just young graduates and who can join these incubation centres to convert their ideas into a design and a product’.
He said the DRDO supports this project with Rs one crore funding for an idea which actually works for the defence of the country or the security of the country.
‘If you are establishing an industry and coming out with a design and if we see that the design is useful to the defence or the security of the country, and come out with that product, we can fund you up to Rs 10 crore’, he said.