The Rahul Bajaj Technology Innovation Centre will be inaugurated at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay, on 10 June by eminent scientist Dr R A Mashelkar.

The inauguration day marks the birth anniversary of the late industrialist Rahul Bajaj (1938-2022), after whom the innovation centre is named. He passed away on 12 February this year.

Members of the Bajaj family will be in attendance during the inauguration, which will begin at 11.30 am in the Prof B Nag Auditorium at the Victor Menezes Convention Centre, IIT Bombay.

The Rahul Bajaj Technology Innovation Centre was envisioned to be a space — a seven-storey building with about 2 lakh square-foot area — for research and education programmes aimed at societal benefit.

The centre is proposed to house IIT Bombay’s Society for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (SINE), Industrial Research and Consulting Centre (IRCC), and Industrial Design Centre (IDC). The three centres will be focused on translating research into entrepreneurial ventures, supporting the development of products that benefit society, and, ultimately, contribute to national growth.

The Bajaj Foundation offered a philanthropic gift of Rs 25 crore in March 2020 towards the construction of the centre. In fiscal year 2020-21, they made a contribution of Rs 10 crore.

The ceremony to lay the foundation stone of the innovation centre was held on 14 November 2018. Rahul Bajaj, then the chairman of Bajaj Group, and a former chairman of the Board of Governors of IIT Bombay, was the chief guest. He had unveiled the plaque and 3D model of the centre. About three and a half years later, the innovation centre is all set for launch.

IIT Bombay tweeted that it “looks forward to inauguration.” Chief guest Mashelkar said in a tweet that it will be “a great honour and privilege for me to inaugurate” the technology innovation centre “named after late legendary Rahul bhai housed in our most preeminent #education & #research institution” IIT Bombay.

Dr Mashelkar is a National Research Professor, former director of the National Chemical Laboratory (1989-1995), former director general of the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (1995-2006), chairman of the National Innovation Foundation, and president of the Global Research Alliance.

He is well known for leading the challenge against foreign patents on Indian traditional knowledge, specifically pertaining to turmeric, neem, and basmati rice.

Dr Mashelkar has written 25 books, 284 research papers and is a recipient of honorary doctorates from 44 Indian and global universities. He has served as a member of the Scientific Advisory Council to the Prime Minister. He has been honoured with the Padma Shri (1991), Padma Bhushan (2000), and Padma Vibhushan (2014).

He will get the new IIT Bombay centre rolling on 10 June.

In March this year, Union Minister of Education and of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship Dharmendra Pradhan said at IIT Bombay that he expected employers and entrepreneurs, not employees, to emerge from IITs.

“I strongly believe that there are only a few premier educational institutions in the country that have the answers to the problems of 21st (sic) century and IIT Bombay is one among them,” said Pradhan, calling for IIT Bombay to play a major role in this “era of knowledge.”