DIPP inks pact with a Punjab institute to set up TISC.

The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) recently signed a pact with a Punjab state council to set up Technology and Innovation Support Centre (TISC).

At present, 500 TISCs operate worldwide and establishing such centre in India will give the host institutions an access to the global network, the Commerce and Industry Ministry said in a statement.

The agreement was signed with Punjab State Council of Science and Technology here, it said.

The centre would be established at Punjab's Patent Information Centre under a World Intellectual Property Organization's (WIPO) programme.

'The objective of the TISC is to stimulate a dynamic, vibrant and balanced intellectual property rights (IPRs) system in India to foster creativity and innovation,' the statement said.

It would help promote entrepreneurship and enhance social, economic and cultural development by establishing a network of TISCs in India.

The Technology and Innovation Support Centre programme of WIPO provides innovators in developing countries with access to high quality technology information and related services.

The TISC offers several services such as access to online patent and non-patent resources; assistance in searching and retrieving technology information; training in database search; on-demand searches (novelty, state-of-the-art and infringement) and monitoring technology and competitors.

The Cell for IPR Promotion and Management (CIPAM) is designated as the national focal point for the TISC's national network.

The CIPAM would identify potential host institutions, assess their capacities and support them in joining the TISC programme.

'In upcoming years, CIPAM is planning to establish TISCs in universities, state science councils, R&D institutions,' it added.

TOI