IISc’s FSID appoints first industry leader as CEO under new model | India News
Bengaluru: The Foundation for Science, Innovation and Development (FSID) at IISc has adopted a new governance and leadership model, appointing Omprakash Subbarao as its CEO and bringing an industry professional to the helm for the first time.The change marks a new phase for FSID, which said it is seeking to build a self-sustaining Section 8 company anchored around two pillars: innovation and incubation. Historically, the organisation has been led by faculty members of IISc.Under the new structure, Subbarao will be a full-time CEO reporting to the FSID Board, with full operational autonomy and responsibility for the organisation’s day-to-day management, external engagement and execution of activities. Prof Suryasarthy Bose will serve as Professor-in-Charge, providing institutional oversight and acting as the principal interface between FSID and IISc.Subbarao, an IISc alumnus, brings experience across technology, industry, public digital infrastructure and innovation. Before his appointment, he was CEO of CORE Labs at FSID, where he led research and innovation collaborations with large corporations.“As the world of research, innovation and technology translation evolves rapidly, so too are the expectations of industry, govt and other external stakeholders,” Subbarao said. To respond to these changing requirements “with greater agility, professionalism and scale”, he said, FSID was strengthening its governance and leadership structure.“For the first time, we’re having an industry leader as the CEO to drive this transformation,” he added. FSID has set a target of undertaking 1,000 industry projects and building a portfolio of 300 deep-tech startups by 2030.“With a vision of ‘Built on Science, Scaled for the World’, we are building FSID around two strong pillars: Innovation and Incubation,” Subbarao said. The organisation wants to deepen engagement with multinational corporations, Indian corporates and MSMEs while creating stronger pathways for science and research to translate into real-world impact, he said.
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Over the past year, FSID has expanded industry engagement through Innovation Hub, or iHUB, its innovation and research facility that brings corporates and startups closer to IISc’s scientific ecosystem.The facility provides R&D laboratories for corporate partners and infrastructure for incubated startups. BEML, Toyo Ink and Schaeffler are among companies that have established research labs and workspaces there. FSID serves as IISc’s single-window interface for its deep science and deep-tech capabilities, supporting collaborative research, incubation, product development, consulting and industry-funded research.
