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The New Knowledge Economy
Can India Compete?
Speakers
R&D Intensive Hi-Tech industries will dominate the New Knowledge Economy. Currently, India has a negligible presence. Building world class multidisciplinary research universities is essential to close this gap.
Welcome to the New Knowledge Economy where R&D Intensive high technology industries will be increasingly dominant. The next few decades are going to be critical in high end technologies like Semiconductors, Artificial Intelligence, Computing and Telecom, Energy and Battery, Commercial Aircraft, Space, Pharmaceuticals, and in emerging frontier technologies exploiting Genetics, Quantum Physics, Cognitive and Brain Sciences. Only nations with top global multidisciplinary research universities will have the ability to enter this new technology world.
India’s share today in high technology industries is negligible and our gap with advanced economies is growing exponentially. Our vulnerability is made worse by the new threats of technology denial even in commercial sectors, holding hostage entire segments of a nation’s economy. To resist technology colonization, India must move from being an importer and consumer of advanced technologies to become a producer of high end technologies, as well as become major global research hub. For this we need world class research universities and building them is an urgent national interest. It is critical for our national security, our economic prosperity, and our societal well-being.
Dr Anil Kakodkar and Dr Arogyaswami Paulraj will highlight the imperative for building world class multidisciplinary research universities in India and the need for an ambitious and urgent initiative in the private sector.
Speakers

Anil Kakodkar
Dr. Anil Kakodkar joined the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) in 1964, following the one year post graduate Training with top rank in Nuclear Science and Technology in the then Atomic Energy Establishment. He became the Director of BARC in the year 1996 and was the Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission and Secretary to the Government of India, Department of Atomic Energy, during the years 2000 -2009. He was DAE Homi Bhabha Chair Professor during Jan. 2010-Jan. 2015 and INAE Satish Dhawan Chair of Engineering Eminence during January 2015 to January 2017. Currently he is AICTE Distinguished Chair Professor and Director of Ekagrid.
Dr. Kakodkar obtained his BE (Mech. Engineering) degree from the Bombay University in 1963 and M.Sc. in the Experimental Stress Analysis from the Nottingham University in 1969. He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second highest civilian honour, on 26 January 2009.
Dr. Kakodkar has been a key contributor to India’s strategic programme. He was amongst the chosen few involved in the first successful Peaceful Nuclear Explosion Experiment that India conducted on May 18, 1974 at Pokhran. And later, he played a key role in the series of successful Nuclear Tests conducted during May 1998, again at Pokhran. India also demonstrated nuclear submarine powerpack technology under Kakodkar’s leadership.

Arogyaswami Paulraj
Dr. Paulraj has been a technical innovator his entire career. While he is currently a Stanford Professor Emeritus of Engineering, co-inventor of 79 patents, and author of more than 400 research papers and two text books, he is most well-known for pioneering Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) technology. MIMO has revolutionized broadband wireless internet access for billions of people worldwide as it is the essential foundation for 4G, 5G, and future broadband wireless communications.
Dr. Arogyaswami Paulraj has won over a dozen awards, notably the National Inventors Hall of Fame (USPTO), Marconi Prize and Fellowship, 2014 and the IEEE Alexander Graham Bell Medal, 2011. He is a fellow of eight scientific / engineering national academies including the US, China, India and Sweden. He is a fellow of IEEE and AAAS.

Aditya Nath Jha
Aditya Nath Jha is the CEO of Krayon Pictures and the Executive Producer of Delhi Safari, winner of the National Award for the Best Animation Film. Earlier, he was the global head of Corporate Marketing and Branding at Infosys. Aditya has also written two TV serials, won over 50 awards for his creative work in advertising and has been a guest speaker at leading business schools like MIT Sloan, Johnson School of Business at Cornell and London Business School. Aditya is a Chemical Engineer from IIT Kharagpur.