Trust-based Funding Key for R&D: Expert

Hyderabad: Dr R. Ratheesh, director general of the Centre for Materials for Electronics Technology (C-MET), stressed the need for trust-based funding and inventive thinking to strengthen India’s R&D ecosystem. Speaking in Hyderabad, he said such models had enabled breakthroughs like RC Duroid, a critical communication material earlier imported under embargo, now indigenously developed and patented.

He said technology readiness levels (TRL) must be matched with commercial and system readiness to ensure innovations move from laboratories to markets.

Dr Ratheesh cited collaborations with ISRO and work on semiconductor and lithium battery recycling technologies as examples of progress, but warned that a shortage of skilled manpower, particularly for semiconductor cleanroom operations, remained a hurdle. Low stipends, he said, failed to attract top talent or encourage skilled diaspora to return.

Bureaucratic delays were another concern. He recalled a 5G base station proposal that was approved two years late, by which time it had lost relevance.

Highlighting grassroots innovation, Dr Ratheesh pointed to a low-cost wearable thermal sensor developed at C-MET Thrissur by Dr A. Seema for early breast cancer detection, which won the Nari Shakti award. The device is painless, radiation-free and ensures privacy. Operable even by ASHA workers in rural areas, it delivers results within 30 minutes through 2D and 3D analysis software.

The device is particularly useful for young women with dense breast tissue or those reluctant to undergo mammography due to stigma, cost or lack of access. With the technology now transferred to a private company, Dr Seema is overseeing large-scale testing and regulatory approvals for national rollout.

She has also advanced the system to provide six tumour parameters, including size, depth and metabolic activity, making it a potential breakthrough in accessible cancer screening.