Game-changing science can come out of the most ordinary labs and innovation can be fostered in children through stories of inspiration, said Anil Kumar Gupta while delivering the foundation day lecture at Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, here on Sunday.
Prof. Gupta, who until recently taught at India Institute of Management, Ahmadabad, and is Vice-Chair of the National Innovation Foundation, highlighted the need for communicating science to ordinary citizens in ways easy to comprehend.
“Why not put up billboards that give tips on healthy eating and living at a low cost? The science is already there,” he told the gathering of scientists after delivering his talk.
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Innovation and creativity were crucial to solve problems, he said. He added that children in schools need to be told the stories on how brilliant science can come from the most humble of the labs.
He mentioned two instances of grass-roots innovation including that of discovery of a variant of apple that can be grown in the plains, and the use of milk to control certain viral infections.
When asked about the Start-Up India programme, he expressed the need for funding innovations at research and trial stages.
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“Investors are interested only when the product is completed and can certainly deliver results. However, for trials, the need for funds remains unfulfilled,” he added, while calling for a national fund for innovations.