North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU) in Shillong hosted the ‘Industry-Academia Partnership Opportunities’ programme, aiming to foster collaboration between academia and industry for innovative advancements.
The event commenced with a welcome note by BK Mishra, Principal Investigator of BIRAC Bionest. Mishra emphasised the interest of the incubator centre in future collaborations with VCA Healthcare Pvt Ltd. He highlighted the potential benefits and the promising future of such partnerships.
VK Tripathi, Managing Director of VCA Healthcare, presented the visions and objectives of the company, which focuses on the development of high-quality herbal products. VCA specialises in producing a wide range of standardised herbal ingredients and phytochemicals. These are manufactured in a state-of-the-art facility under the strict supervision of qualified scientists. The company serves the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, ayurvedic and food industries, catering to both domestic and international markets with certified herbal extracts, a press release said today.
NEHU Vice-Chancellor Prof Prabha Shankar Shukla underscored the importance of knowledge sharing and strengthening industry-academia relationships. He proposed awareness programmes to showcase knowledge on national and international platforms and announced NEHU’s approval as a Section 8 company.
The event showcased the collaborative capacity and technological prowess of NEHU in various fields, such as the use of indigenous antidiabetic medicinal plants of Khasi Hill origin for potential collaboration with VCA; the development of nanoproducts for the nutraceutical and agricultural sectors; devices like the Automated Medicine Dispenser and other innovations beneficial for handicapped and elderly individuals; cost-effective nanoparticles, such as nano diamonds generated from cow dung; prototypes of robotic hands, temperature sensors and devices for pancreatitis detection; and the importance of lichen biochemistry and the potential of harvesting its properties for future products.
Students from the DIC also presented their innovative prototype, a baby milk bottle warmer, demonstrating the practical applications of their research.
