Research…a thirst for development

Somewhere we all have heard that –

“Necessity is the mother of invention”.

This is the quotation written nearly in every technical institute and specifically in almost every research department.

Research and Development is generally abbreviated as R & D. These two processes are deeply inter-related to the innovation of new products or an update on prior technology. The concept of research and development is as old as science. It’s how the productions are hiked in industries and are the results of “Innovations” to develop new products. Everything new is somewhere related to the research routed from any laboratory idea. Innovation is indeed an application of the invention and these inventions are the results of the research which is carefully focused by a trial and error process.

The Beginning to present ….

It all started right from the 1790s when the revolutionary French Govt.  was defending itself from the rest of Europe. Semaphore telegraph, observation balloon, explosive shells etc. were developed during this period. The research cannot be a halfway process- it can be either basic or the complete product which can also be called as applied research. Although it emerged more during the times of wars.  This was the time of early 20^th century (1900-1945) when the first and the second world wars occurred. Radars, hydrophones, air traffic control, penicillin, satellites, ATMs, computers are some of the best examples of the work of R & D during wars. Research is the basic investigation performed by a group of scientists with no conscious goal but just to unfold the secrets of nature.

Research in itself is a beautiful process full of patience. It can be experimental, by accident/chance, and by need. The invention of the bulb can be called as experimental while the invention of X-ray and penicillin was accidental. Transistors too were invented by chance but the further evolution of it is based on further design. R and D are huge and has its hand involved in almost every field today right from the medical, consumer, to military or I can say everything. The easiest example that we do in our everyday life can be, is if you have to make a home what will you do? Of course, you will first search for the plot, will do investigations about that and then further you will hire labour and will give the contract to someone to build the home. And in between a lot more you will do to get satisfying results. In short, unknowingly, you are performing research.

At present, the modern and the latest technologies that we use today have their grounds rooted in world wars, especiallyWorld War II. Klystron, Magnetron, Radars, Penicillin are well-known inventions today. MachineLearning & Artificial Intelligence which is the trending technology in use today is only due to the revolution in the electronics industry which is again rooted in the world wars.

At the times of crises like epidemics or at the time when a tiny virus affects the whole world, the level of Research is at its extreme because at that time there is only one aim and that is to find the cure to this pandemic. Every country is involved in the research. In countries like the US, Japan the economic planning has Research and Development as an integral part and it is declared by both private industries and the Govt.

There are now many types of fully-equipped laboratories to take your research to the next level. These are as follows:

·       Government

·       Company

·       Independent

·       Association for Research

·       Universities

The govt. laboratories for research are like MSME, CSIR, DRDO, etc. Here the Govt. provide the funds to the revolutionary prototype ideas.

Company Research is a kind of research done in private industries. Each company has its own R& D where they develop new products or any update to the existing one.

Independent laboratories are the one owned by the individual itself. Here, he/she can develop his/her own ideas and sell it to the govt.  or may file a patent for the same.

There are some research associations for example, CSIR whose main aim is to promote research.

Nowadays, various institutes and universities have also taken initiatives to inculcate research environment among the students as they are young minds, the most efficient ones.

Research and Development has always given growth to a country’s economy and, of course, the world and this is a never- ending process. We all have a curious insect in our minds which will never die as it passes through the generations.

Here,at IIMT College of Engineering, one of the top private engineering collegesin UP and also among the top engineering colleges in AKTU, we have a dedicated Innovation Cell presently receiving funding from MSME, DST and AICTE for innovative projects.