I-STEM (Indian Science, Technology, and Engineering facilities Map), an initiative from the Office of Principal Scientific Adviser, Government of India, has launched a ground-breaking platform called ‘V-LABS’ (Vertically Aggregating Labs).

This revolutionary programme aims to connect researchers, startups, and industries with a vast network of labs and equipment across diverse sectors. This will save the researchers, industry and startups the prohibitive capital expenditure of purchasing advanced equipment. At the national level, this prevents the duplication of scarce resources in the research institutions.

As part of this initiative, I-STEM hosted a new series of events called ‘OORJA’. This V-LAB series aims to aggregate equipment across various domains or verticals, incorporating insights from data analytics, including demand forecasting. The primary objective of the OORJA series was to onboard high-end energy-based equipment onto the I-STEM portal.

The ‘V-LABS’ initiative represents a paradigm shift in scientific resource allocation. It facilitates this shift through a series of events and workshops. Through V-LAB, I-STEM meticulously curates information on scientific and engineering equipment and labs.

This curated data will be integrated into the I-STEM portal, enabling researchers, startups, and industries to efficiently discover and access the resources they require. Furthermore, I-STEM will leverage data analytics to identify high-demand scientific areas, allowing for expedited action and optimized resource utilisation.

The vision of I-STEM is to create a future where one million New-Age researchers, brimming with ideas, are seamlessly connected to a network of 10,000 cutting-edge labs across India. By the end of 2024, I-STEM aims not only to connect individuals to equipment but also to ignite a collaborative ecosystem where startups, industries, and academia co-create the next wave of innovation.