Wipro to start high-end nanotech R&D unit with Belgian institute IMEC in Bangalore

Fancy the idea of carrying your diagnostic centre around with you, with real-time data going directly to your doctor or hospital? It could soon become a reality. Wipro, in collaboration with Belgian research institute IMEC is setting up a high-end nanotechnology R&D centre in Bangalore, which will focus on developing next generation intelligence systems for use in the healthcare, energy, and imaging and vision – including body area networks, which patients can wear and walk around, while real time data is directly transmitted to hospitals or doctors.

“In India particularly in healthcare, it is important to find clever solutions closer to patients, and we plan to pioneer prototypes for new solutions, using the open innovation model,” said Rudi Cartuyvels, vice president, R&D business systems of IMEC.

Partly funded by the Belgian government, IMEC does nano-technology research in areas like ICT, healthcare, low power energy solutions all over the world, with 85% of its about Euro 300 million revenues come from industry collaboration. “Indian industry finds the value proposition interesting, but there’s no doubt that any R&D for the Indian market has to address the cost proposition. It will be up to us to prove to companies that we can deliver,” he said.

Currently, IMEC has R&D centres in Belgium, Netherlands, Taiwan, and now India. At the moment the centre is in the process of recruiting, and plans to have about 60 scientists and systems engineers Wipro over 3 years. IMEC will send a core team of its scientists to work in the centre. While IMEC is unable to reveal details of the initial investment “it will not be a small amount”, Mr Cartuyvels said.

IMEC’s focus is not just on R&D, but finding solutions that can be easily adapted by industry, which is one of the drivers for setting up the India centre. The joint venture will combine IMEC’s chip design and research capabilities with Wipro’s systems engineering skills.

IMEC believes that it will not be difficult to recruit the right kind of talent, which is often a stumbling block for other high-end research. “It is likely given the location that many will be from India, we have 67 nationalities working here in Belgium. In today’s world it doesn’t matter where you locate R&D, what matters is the talent,” he said.