The Indian government’s “Make in India” initiative has intensified the need for strategic partnerships that create an ecosystem supporting next-generation research and high-value manufacturing to drive economic growth in the country. An example of successful industry-academia collaboration that has transformed the traditional role of corporate involvement in university research is the strategic partnership between IIT Bombay and Santa Clara, California headquartered Applied Materials Inc. Now celebrating its tenth year, the partnership has led to the establishment of a vital centre of competence for Applied Materials and continues to play a significant role in developing a semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem in India.
As a significant step to strengthening the partnership, IIT Bombay and Applied Materials announced that Applied will be the first anchor client of IITB’s upcoming Research Park. The IIT Bombay Research Park will enable technology-focused companies to co-locate R&D assets at IIT Bombay, and thereby benefit from close interaction with faculty and student researchers, and from seamless access to labs, equipment and services.

The Applied Materials and IIT Bombay partnership started with a few sponsored projects in 2005, and in over ten years has grown to include India’s first university–based facility with 200 mm fab tools, three on-site labs focusing on Nanotechnology, Chemistry & Material Sciences and R&D on next-generation technologies, and a jointly offered Semiconductor Technology and Manufacturing Certification Programme, the first of its kind in India. The 200 mm semiconductor fabrication facility is one of only a few university-based 200 mm fabs in the world, and is currently being used by 144 research institutions across India for nanoelectronics research.

The collaboration has also catalysed the establishment of two national research centers at IIT Bombay – the Centre of Excellence in Nanoelectronics (CEN) and the National Centre for Photovoltaics Research & Education (NCPRE). These research centres provide world-class research facilities and skills training opportunities for India’s researchers and workforce through national programmes such as the INUP (Indian Nanoelectronics Users Program).

On the occasion, Professor Devang Khakhar, director, IIT Bombay, said, “Applied Materials has been a valued partner of IIT Bombay for a decade and we welcome its decision to sign up as the first anchor client of IIT Bombay’s Research Park. I see it as a testament to the significant value that the Research Park can add to our existing collaborative research and innovation activities in the ESDM (Electronic Systems Design and Manufacturing) sector. Through IIT Bombay’s Research Park, we aim to enable deeper, as well as broader, engagements between industries in various R&D sectors with our faculty and students. It underscores our commitment to supporting such mutually beneficial academia-industry partnerships and I hope that this event will encourage many more companies to join hands with IIT Bombay’s Research Park in the near future.”

Om Nalamasu, senior vice president and chief technology officer, Applied Materials, Inc. said, “The Applied Materials-IIT Bombay partnership combines Applied’s leadership in materials engineering with IIT Bombay’s research expertise to create one of the most comprehensive industry-academia collaborations in the world. It serves as a great benchmark of how a global innovation-focused company and a leading research university can work together to provide foundational skills for a developing industry. We are proud to be at the forefront of creating a strong ecosystem in India to support the growth of domestic semiconductor manufacturing.”

Prof. Abhay Karandikar,  professor-in-charge of the IIT Bombay Research Park, observed, “We are very pleased to note that Applied Materials has announced it would be the first anchor client of IIT Bombay Research Park.  We hope this will significantly enhance the interactions that Applied Materials is already having with IIT Bombay faculty, students and research staff.  IIT Bombay Research Park will provide a platform for innovations and cutting-edge research through collaborations with faculty and students.  The park is envisaged to house 30 companies in its first phase on an area of two hundred fifty thousand sq. ft., eventually scaling to one million sq. ft. in subsequent phases. We are hopeful that more R&D companies will engage with IIT Bombay Research Park and help us take industry-academia interactions to a new level.”

According to Srinivas Satya, president & managing director, Applied Materials India, “Applied Materials foresaw the need for a knowledge economy in India and we are proud to now celebrate ten years of a strategic partnership with IIT Bombay that has grown into a win-win relationship for both organisations and a catalyst for the semiconductor industry in India. Applied Materials will continue to participate in new projects and research opportunities with IIT Bombay that add value to the Indian economy, including our plan to be the first tenant of the university’s forthcoming Research Park.”

The IIT Bombay Research Park aims to build an ecosystem where faculty, students, research staff and the industry work in close collaboration on solving technology challenges and creating product innovation.

Applied Materials, Inc. (Nasdaq: AMAT) is the global leader in materials engineering solutions for the semiconductor, flat panel display and solar photovoltaic industries. Learn more at www.appliedmaterials.com.