National Technology Day

Why is in news? TDB-DST invites application for the prestigious National Technology Awards, 2023

It was on 11th May 1998, that India had a prideful accomplishment of successfully conducting Nuclear Missile Test at Indian Army’s Pokhran range.

It’s after this 1998 monumental event that our Former Prime Minister of India, Late Sh. Atal Bihari Vajpayee declared India a full Nuclear Country.

Since then, 11th May is being observed as National Technology Day, with an aim to commemorate the achievements of scientists, researchers, engineers and all others involved in the field of science and technology.

To celebrate this special day, the Technology Development Board (TDB), a statutory body of the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India by the virtue of its mandate, honours technological innovations that have helped in the national growth under the aegis of ‘National Technology Award’ from the year 1999.

For the year 2023, TDB has invited applications from Indian companies for National Technology Awards under five categories such as Main, MSME, Startup, Translational Research & Technology Business Incubator.

These awards are conferred to various industries for successful commercialization of innovative indigenous technology.

Technology Development Board:

The Government of India constituted the Technology Development Board (TDB) in September 1996, under the Technology Development Board Act, 1995, as a statutory body under the Department of Science and Technology, to promote development and commercialization of indigenous technology and adaptation of imported technology for wider application.

The board consists of 11 Board members.

The TDB is the first organization of its kind within the government framework with the sole objective of commercializing the fruit of indigenous research.

The Board plays a pro-active role by encouraging enterprises to take up technology oriented products.

It provides equity capital or loans to industrial concerns and financial assistance to research and development institutions. The loan carries a simple interest rate of 5% per annum.

Objectives:

promote new ideas from small enterprises even at the risk of failures;

encourage production of competitive consumer products;

motivate industries and R&D institutions for product innovation;

develop socially relevant and profitable technologies;

identify and act in areas requiring strategic interventions;

Invest in core Technological Strengths to Enable India Industry to Stand-up to the competitive Pressure and Become a global Player.