THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, 6 October 2007 — Indian Space Research Organization, India’s national space agency, has launched the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST), its first institute of international standards.

The IIST is the third institute of its kind in the world to produce the best scientists in aerospace engineering. The classes started at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Center here.

The ISRO plans to absorb all candidates who come out with a first class every year, its chairman G. Madhavan Nair, who inaugurated classes for the first batch of 144 students attending four-year B. Tech in aerospace engineering, said.

Nair said the IIST would be shifted to the new campus being built in the picturesque Ponmudi hill station, 56 km from here, within two years.

“We have to develop new generation space technology and the Institute is expected to provide the manpower for future space programs,” he said.

“ISRO has a long-time goal and has prepared a Vision for 2020. Meticulous planning is under way to achieve this mission.”

He said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who was highly appreciative of this program, would arrive here to lay the foundation for the permanent campus, the date for which would be decided later.

ISRO came up with the idea of setting up the institute when it faced a shortage of fresh talents for India’s space programs as most of the students who come out of prestigious tech institutes prefer management, IT courses or overseas contracts.

The youngsters will be taught in propulsion, aerodynamics, navigation, guidance, sub-systems, avionics, and control systems. ISRO has totally subsidized the education and the students passing out of the IIST are required to serve the space agency for five years or pay the bond amount.

The institute will also offer undergraduate courses and doctoral educational programs to meet the high technology requirements of ISRO. In addition to the regular curriculum, the courses will have special modules tailored to space technology and space science.

IIST also plans to create its own full-fledged infrastructure to develop an excellent research atmosphere. Apart from this students will have privileged access to advanced facilities of ISRO to carry out high technology research in space technology and science.

ISRO officials said IIST would be a unique institute where education will be totally integrated with research in the areas of space technology, space science and space applications. Innovative learning processes are being employed utilizing latest technologies.

They said all the students will be provided with accommodation in the hostel while doctoral and postdoctoral fellows will get studio apartments in Ponmudi. A guest house is planned for visiting scientists, visiting professors and other experts visiting the campus.

Besides a convocation complex, faculty housing, open air theater, sports complex, bank, post office and a mini shopping arcade, the campus will also have support services buildings, primary health care center, health club and other students’ amenities center.

Madhavan Nair said work on Chandrayaan, India’s unmanned moon mission, is progressing as per schedule and it would be launched by the middle of next year. ISRO also plans two more launches this year but the dates have not been fixed, he said.

“INSAT-4CR, launched by GSLV-F04 this month has been successfully placed in its final geosynchronous orbit. We are switching on the transponders and it would be operational by the end of this month,” he added.

Low-cost access to space, exploration of the solar system, putting up a base in the moon and the ‘Chandrayaan’ mission are some of the future programs. ISRO has asked the Planning Commission for a substantial increase in funding for space programs to avoid resource crunch.

“ISRO has mastered the technology and we are in the forefront of the nations as far as space technology is concerned”, Madhavan said, adding that the next step was to become leaders in this aspect.

IIST has tied up with College of Engineering Thiruvananthapuram (CET) and Mar Ivanios College for laboratory facilities. It has appointed a twenty-member faculty headed by VSSC Director Dr. B.N. Suresh.

“The prime target of the institute is to sharpen the brightest minds for India’s ambitious space program that is currently facing an acute shortage of brains because of declining interest in science and research sector as the commerce sector has boomed during the last five years and provide the best job and salary package in the world,” Nair said.

NASSCOM Launches Program

Kerala Government and National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) has launched National Assessment of Competency (NAC) certification program at Technopark here.

Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan inaugurated the IT & ITES Industry Academia Meet 2007 last week and formally launched the NAC program along with NASSCOM President Kiran Karnik.

The certification is to be done by continually assessing candidates on key skills, through a national standard assessment, making it easier for them to screen candidates and also provide training need analysis to candidates.

“The state government has acknowledged that there is a mismatch between the college curriculum and industrial requirement and that the government will ensure that the gap will be bridged,” Achuthanandan said.

Karnik said the IT industry is expected to double its growth in the next three years and it is necessary that professionals are competent to meet the growing demands. He said it is important that a constant two-way relationship between industry and academia is maintained.

He also said that Kerala has a big advantage as an IT destination with three international airports, but needs to focus on increase connectivity from European countries with more flights to the region as is being done in the Middle East.

“Kerala’s hub-and-spoke model is a very interesting model, a good concept which has come at the right time,” he said.

“It would be good to have Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi as major IT hubs and small centers in the districts employing around 1,000 people as the spokes. This would not have been possible earlier because of problems of connectivity but, with better road and electronic connectivity, this is the right time to attempt such things,” he said.