Manaswini Mohapatra 
A Journey Rooted in Leveraging Innovation to Innovation Excellence
Over a career spanning nearly two decades at the National Research Development Corporation (NRDC), other premier organization under Ministry of S&T, Govt of India . Dr. Bijay Kumar Sahu has grown from leading in leveraging innovation activities from his organization in east & south including northeastern state . Dr Sahu is now heading Outreach Office of NRDC . He holds a PhD from Jawaharlal Nehru University(JNU) with a specialization in intellectual property (IP) and Innovation Management, ensuring his approach to research and innovation relevant to India’s agrarian economy and modern market demands. Balancing this leadership role alongside his position as the Associate Editor of Invention Intelligence, his professional trajectory is deeply anchored in a strong academic foundation in innovation and value creation. He is professional innovation strategist from Copenhagen Business School and studies there as a Danida Fellow,. He is also Members of various Committees in Govt of India and various state government organization including SMEs, Startups and industries bodies.
Safeguarding Ideas in the Modern Knowledge Economy
Highlighting historical controversies surrounding traditional assets like Haldi and Basmati, he clarifies that protecting intellectual property is crucial to mitigate threats like piracy, apriorism, and copyright infringement. His significant contributions to intellectual property management, innovation promotion, and technology commercialization have earned him several prestigious national and international recognitions. Dr. Sahu has received the National IP Award for NRDC (2 times)–TISC as the Best Technology and Innovation Support Centre from the Government of India in FY 2020 and 2023. He has been recognized among the Top 100 IP Leaders of India by the World IP Forum and is a recipient of the Global IP Convention (GIPC) Award 2017, Royal Danida Fellowship 2021, IPR Gorilla Award 2021, Golden Pillar Award 2019, and the IPTSE–FICCI IP Recognition Award 2022. His commitment to capacity building and innovation leadership has also been acknowledged through the Best Academician Training Award from IIPM and the Best Officer Award 2023 from NRDC, Ministry of Science & Technology, Government of India, among several other accolades.
Global Perspectives for a ‘Viksit Bharat
The drive to internationalize Indian innovation serves as a core component of Dr. Sahu’s overarching strategy. Crucial insights were gained while studying innovation strategy at the Copenhagen Business School alongside international participants from Chile, Brazil, and Argentina. This cross-border exchange of knowledge reinforced the importance of global collaboration and directly supports the national objective of building a developed nation, or “Viksit Bharat,” by adapting international best practices. The recent visit at Israel Innovation ecosystem was quite interesting, motivating in mitigating our innovation challenges in creating an ecosystem for leveraging it.
Bridging the Gap from Lab to Land
For Dr. Sahu, true success in technology transfer relies on moving affordable and adaptable innovations from the laboratory directly to the land, and from the mind to the market. A practical example of this mission is the NRDC’s role as a WIPO Green focal point, where they successfully scouted and documented affordable green technologies for farmers in Andhra Pradesh, connecting these grassroots innovations with broader industry opportunities. Recognizing that IP awareness is often lacking at the “bottom of the pyramid,” his team strategically established outreach offices in Bhubaneswar, Andhra Pradesh, and the Northeast to foster a mindset of ownership and self-reliance.
Transforming Odisha into a Knowledge Hub
A major regional focus for Dr. Sahu is shifting the narrative of Odisha from being solely a center for mines and minerals to becoming a thriving knowledge economy. Boasting over 200 engineering colleges, the state possesses a vast pool of talent perfectly suited for knowledge intensive sectors.
The goal is to retain this young talent rather than losing them to cities like Bangalore or Hyderabad, thereby keeping both “Saraswati” (knowledge) and “Lakshmi” (wealth) within the state. To achieve this, the NRDC actively engages with smaller MSME clusters in rural and semi-urban areas like Rourkela, Rayagada, Kalahandi, Bolagir Koraput and Bargarh, ensuring they are not just operating out of capital cities.
Empowering Deep Tech and the Startup & Innovation Ecosystem in State
In an era where innovation & sustainability has evolved from buzzword to an urgent imperative, the shift reflect our commitment moving beyond conversion to #collaboration in embracing meaningful action for emerging technological innovation. Human society has already recognized the critical role of deep technology in advancing economic development & societal progress. We have the privileged to collaborate for this in building a conducive ecosystem supported by strategic incentives, innovation capital, technology validation & assessment and robust intellectual property (IP) protection to enable essential to enable and safeguard India’s deep tech startups & entrepreneurship. We appreciate Govt of Odisha for collaboration & appropriate engagement with action oriented stakeholders & participation of deep-tech startups, innovators, incubators, industry leaders, beaurocrats & policy makers in one platform for deliberation with action points supporting the next generation of innovators involves dedicated handholding, funding, and validation of deep tech startups. Dr. Sahu notes that the NRDC actively funds and validates deep tech ventures, including a recent promising startup in Cuttack that is currently transitioning to the commercialization stage. To democratize access to this ecosystem, the institution provides free monthly seminars—such as a recent event at Biju Patnaik University of Technology in Rourkela—to offer step-by-step IP guidance. Additionally, they offer focused internships for BTech and MTech, PhD students looking to explore technology and market opportunities.
A Collaborative Vision for the Future
Achieving ambitious goals like “Vision Odisha 2036” requires a collective effort, or “Sabka Prayas,” involving active collaboration with the state government, Startup Odisha, and rural outreach agencies like the Vivekananda Kendra for managing and protecting indigenous knowledge system and knowledge. Looking ahead to the next decade, Dr. Sahu remains committed to adapting to the changing demands of the time. Maintaining strong ties to his rural roots in the Kalahandi district of Odisha his ultimate mission is to continuously contribute to his home state, connect the necessary dots, and mitigate the everyday challenges faced by local communities.
