For ZEISS, it is the only innovation hub outside of Germany.
The hub is designed to accelerate innovation by bringing together academia, startups, industry and researchers and will foster advanced research, validate new ideas and translate them into scalable solutions.
Collaborating with various departments such as engineering design, deep tech, and Health Tech and the Incubation cell, the hub will focus on areas such as advanced frugal engineering and robotics.
Speaking at the launch, Andreas Pecher, President and CEO. ZEISS Group, said, “The establishment of the ZEISS Innovation Hub in Chennai reflects our confidence in the country’s rapidly evolving innovation ecosystem and its growing significance as a strategic market.”
The hub’s primary goal will be to focus on advanced medical technology, specifically in eye care and surgical care such as neurosurgery, accessible to more people, targeting both India and the rest of the Global South.
Initially, the hub will have four to five people and the work conducted at the Chennai hub will be defined as early research that might turn into solutions and product developments later.
Natarajan Malupillai, Group CEO, IITM Research Park and Incubation Cell, said, “By joining hands, we have an opportunity to combine these complementary strengths to accelerate frontier research, develop globally competitive technologies to create a distinct innovation advantage that benefits both industry and society.”
IIT Madras Research Park plans to open a semiconductor centre next year, he said.
This centre is designed to be the “skilling capital” for the region’s semiconductor workforce and will feature prototyping, micro-fabrication (microfab), and production capabilities, Natrajan Malupillai added.