During the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, as the number of cases rose and hospitals filled with patients, the healthcare system and even the common citizens needed more of everything urgently diagnostic kits, personal protective equipment (PPE) kits, masks, ventilators and more. In that situation, the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) were some of the first educational institutions to step up.
The IITs produced diagnostic kits and rapid tests; designed low-cost ventilators; special masks and PPE; sanitation systems in a short period of time. The IITs have continued to build on that momentum with new research centres, labs and collaborations.
India typically imports 87 percent of the total medical devices and equipment, worth approximately Rs. 50,000 crore every year, said B Ravi, institute chair professor, mechanical engineering department at IIT Bombay.
"We realized we can make the medical equipment required, our students can, although there are hiccups," said Amitabha Bandopadhyay, professor and in-charge bio-incubator facility, IIT Kanpur. He was part of the team that designed and built a viable low-cost ventilator within a week, in the early stages of the pandemic.
Testing problems
While India has skill and manufacturing costs are low, the main deterrent to development of medical equipment was the cost of research and development, safety testing and human clinical trials. "These cannot be avoided due to regulatory requirements, nor compromised since they directly affect product quality and reliability," said Ravi, adding, "marketing and distribution are also important to improve the visibility and availability of the devices among target users."
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Denne historien er fra August 2022-utgaven av Careers 360.
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100 Best Business Schools In The Country
For Careers360's 2025 B-school ranking, we ranked 100 public and private management institutions and rated over 500, dividing them into zones and city clusters
'We have a completion rate of 80-90%'
During an interaction, Mayank Kumar, co-founder and managing director of upGrad, spoke to Sheena Sachdeva about new courses in accounting and management, the profile of learners, trends in online MBA courses, and more. Edited excerpts from the conversation below
New roles and spaces
Online MBA has helped many working professionals climb up the office hierarchy or even pivot to an entirely new career. But there are challenges.
'Committed to industry-relevant learning'
International Management Institute (IMI), New Delhi, is India's first corporate-sponsored B-school. It offers three PG diplomas in management - the flagship PGDM with 300 seats, as well as human resource management and business and financial studies with 60 each. Himadri Das, director general, IMI, discussed the challenges posed by competition among private business schools, the importance of diversity, and IMI's NIRF rankings with Sanjay. Edited excerpts from the interview.
National Insurance Academy plans expansion to meet rising demand
The National Insurance Academy (NIA), now situated in Pune, was established jointly by the ministry of finance and all the major public sector undertakings (PSUs) in insurance. Originally a training institute for insurance industry professionals, it has been offering a postgraduate diploma in management (PGDM) since 2004 and has placed 100% of its students all through.
The era of MBA in sustainability
As companies are increasingly pushed to meet environmental compliances, management institutes are revamping their curricula with specialised MBA programmes in sustainability or launching new programmes
Despite good record, SRCC's PGDM faces degree hurdle
Delhi University's Shri Ram College of Commerce started its postgraduate diploma in Global Business Operations (GBO) 25 years ago. Principal Simrit Kaur spoke to Shradha Chettri on their effort to convert the diploma into a degree programme, changes required in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) and more. Edited excerpts
Managing produce, from farm to plate
Agribusiness managers are in great demand, both on the 'input' side of agriculture - seeds, fertilizer, machinery businesses - as well as in the processing of the 'output'
Creating 'innovators with conscience'
The SP Jain Institute of Management and Research (SPJIMR), Mumbai, has been the top Indian institution in the Financial Times' (FT) Masters in Management rankings for two years in a row. Varun Nagaraj, dean of SPJIMR, spoke to Atul Krishna about what the institute does differently, its plans, the future of business education, and the FT and National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) lists. Edited excerpts below
'Quality management education that is equitable': FMS Dean
The Faculty of Management Studies (FMS) at the University of Delhi (DU) is one of India's premier business schools offering MBA courses at a relatively low cost, compared to most leading business schools in India. Celebrating its 70th year, it is also one of the first university-based business schools. In an interview with Sanjay, head and dean of FMS A Venkat Raman spoke about the functioning of a business school under a central university, challenges, courses and future plans. He also spoke on the Common Admission Test (CAT) and its impact on diversity in student cohorts. Edited excerpts
