The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has strengthened its partnership with 92 educational institutions across the country through Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs), recognizing academia as a critical and non-biased stakeholder in the national standardization process. These MoUs pave the way for academic institutions to actively participate in BIS Technical Committees for the formulation of National Standards, undertake R&D projects offered by BIS, and contribute to international standardization efforts.
To further this initiative, BIS organized a convention for Deans and Heads of Departments (HoDs) of the partner institutions in the Computer and Electronics Engineering discipline. The event was held at Mahabalipuram on the 27th and 28th of September 2024.
The convention commenced with a welcome address by Shri Praveen Khanna, Scientist-G,Deputy Director General of the Southern Regional Office, BIS. Shri Rajeev Sharma, Scientist-G,Deputy Director General of Standardization, officially inaugurated the program, emphasizing the crucial role of academia in the standardization process. He pointed out challenges such as the lesser participation of academia in standardization, the disconnect between ongoing research and its relevance to standardization, and the need for a balanced Indian perspective in international standardization.
Smt. Reena Garg, Scientist G and Head of LITD, presented on key areas in Electronics and IT at the international level, emphasizing BIS's role in global standardization within ISO/IEC. She discussed current projects, highlighting opportunities for India to lead by engaging experts from academia and industry. Her presentation stressed the importance of India's active participation in the global standardization process. Smt Neha Yadav, Scientist-D, provided an overview of the BIS-Academia collaboration and the expectations for the road ahead.
During the convention, technical sessions were conducted by Shri Manikandan K, Scientist E, Shri Ashish Tiwari, Scientist D, and Shri Kshitij Bathla, Scientist D. These sessions offered valuable insights into the technical aspects of standardization in the fields of Computer and Electronics Engineering. This was followed by a group exercise led by Shri Koushik Dutta, Scientist E, and Shri Manikandan K, Scientist E. The day concluded with a live demonstration of digital solutions by Smt. Neha Yadav, Scientist D, highlighting the latest technological advancements in standardization.
The Deans and HoDs of the partner institutions participated with great zeal and enthusiasm, contributing to vibrant discussions and exchanging ideas for future collaboration such as inclusion of standardization as a part of their course curriculum. The session on the second day emphasized on seeking suggestions from faculty on how to take forward the collaboration wherein a number of ideas and recommendations were shared.
The deliberations held during the convention unfolded the importance of standardization in teaching-learning process in academic institutions and how knowledge on standards will help in embedding quality consciousness in minds of young generation. This convention marks a significant step forward in aligning academic research with the needs of national and international standardization, ensuring that India’s standards remain at the forefront of global developments.