IIT-Madras gets ₹242-crore grant for research in lab grown diamonds

India Centre for Lab Grown Diamonds was identified for the project based on two decades of work in diamond research and developed technologies for industry, space and defence sectors

February 02, 2023 09:47 pm | Updated February 03, 2023 02:51 pm IST - CHENNAI

A view of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT),Madras. File

A view of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT),Madras. File | Photo Credit: VELANKANNI RAJ B

The Indian Institute of Technology Madras has received a grant of ₹242 crore to carry out research on laboratory-grown diamonds.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced this in the Budget presented on Wednesday, February 1, 2023. The grant is for five years to indigenise lab-grown diamond manufacturing process.

Institute director V. Kamakoti thanked Ms. Sitharaman and said diamonds with thermal and electrical properties were superior to contemporary technologies such as silicon, silicon carbide and gallium nitrade.

The grant would go to various departments and research groups involved in the field in the institute.

M.S. Ramachandra Rao, principal investigator and professor in the Department of Physics at the institute, said the India Centre for Lab Grown Diamonds (InCent-LGD) was identified for the project based on two decades of work in diamond research and developed technologies for industry, space and defence sectors.

Mr. Rao said the growing demand for lab-grown diamonds required dedicated research to realise not only gem quality diamonds but realise a plethora of electric applications such as 5G/6G, magnetometry, thermal management, sensors and quantum technologies.

The science and technology of diamond growth processes are complicated to understand and high pressure high temperature machines besides other critical equipment are imported at a high cost, he said.

The research centre will be established at the institute Research Park and laboratories. The Centre for Industrial Consultancy and Sponsored Research at the Institute has so far undertaken projects with a sanctioned value of ₹2,888 crore and executed consultancy projects valued at ₹1,154 crore.

The Institute was given the national Intellectual Property Award for 2021-22.

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