New Delhi: "Educational institutions like the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) are the crucibles where all these three forces can interface with each other. Here, young students while studying science disciplines must inculcate a good value system," said the President of India, Pratibha Devisingh Patil, on Monday.

The President spoke at the inauguration of the Golden Jubilee Year of IIT-Delhi. Calling IIT-Delhi one of the front ranking educational institutions in the country, Pratibha Patil said that the establishment of the education infrastructure in India, including the IITs, was the outcome of the vision of the first Prime Minister of India, Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru.

The President said that Pt. Nehru looked at such institutions as essential for making a modern India. "The IIT model seeks to provide a high caliber of education to its students, so that they become scientists and engineers comparable to the best in the world, as they explore the universe of knowledge through the prism of science and technology," she said.

President Patil stated that she has had previous opportunities to participate in the Convocation of IIT-Mumbai in its Golden Jubilee Year, Golden Jubilee celebrations of IIT-Kanpur and now of IIT-Delhi. "These are occasions to acknowledge the success achieved by the alumni of the IITs in technology and business, both within our country and abroad," she said.

Saying that such alumni of the IITs have done much to do our nation proud, the President emphasized that IITians, who are some of the bet brains in our country, must be important partners and contributor to the journey of India to become a leader in the knowledge based society of the 21st century.

"In my address to the Nation on the eve of Independence Day, I had emphasized that the future of India would derive strength from three sources. Firstly, from a value system based on harmony, tolerance and selflessness; secondly from our youth and; thirdly from innovations and inventions. Educational institutions like IITs are the crucibles where all these three forces can interface with each other," she said, adding that young students while studying science disciplines must inculcate a good value system.

The President further stated, "Since the Industrial Revolution, the pace of scientific and technological advancement has been tremendous. In our times, the network age of Information and Technology and the age of genetic engineering, biotechnology and nano-technology are proving to be revolutionary. Today, we seek responses to the challenges of food, water and energy security."

"This means addressing a wide spectrum of issues like food-grain productivity and its proper distribution, water and energy conservation, cleaning of rivers and water recycling, reducing the cost of renewable sources of energy like solar and wind. We are looking at construction of energy efficient buildings and low cost housing to provide shelter to those who either have no house or are in urban areas living in slums," she said.

Talking about the efforts of our nation to search for ways to combat existing and new diseases as well as the growing climate problems due to air pollution, she said that the responses and solutions to such issues lie to a large extent in the domain of science and technology and these challenges would need sustained research to find appropriate responses.

Quoting the President in 1992 of the American Chemical Society, President Patil said that "if we stop doing fundamental research, the 'well" that supplies the applications will eventually run dry". She said that without continuing fundamental research, the scope for new technologies will shrink.

Congratulating IIT alumni as well as students for having a number of market patents awaiting registration, including 40 patent applications from IIT-Delhi, President Pratibha Patil said that "we must look at the global patent scenario to get a broader perspective."

"According to the World Intellectual Property Organization, in 2009, over 45,000 patents constituting almost a third of global patents in the year were filed by the US. Ranking fifth, China filed over 7,900 patents. India, on the other hand had only 761 applications. We have a long distance to cover. The Government of India has declared this decade as the Decade of Innovation, I am confident that our scientists and researchers with their knowledge, capability and commitment will make it a success," she further informed.

Calling technology diffusion an important aspect of IITs" work, the President said that inventions that have germinated in laboratories must be transmitted into the field to become agents of transformation.

"Therefore, efforts should be to build collaborations with institutions in different sectors of industry, agriculture and services, which in turn, must also be forthcoming in supporting new ideas and discoveries," she said.

She further added that she was happy to learn that IIT-Delhi has organized an "Open House" over the past years, in which innovations of students of this campus are displayed.

"The challenge is in getting tie-ups for their marketing and commercialization. I am told that IIT Delhi has created a special centre - the Foundation for Innovation and Technology Transfer for marketing these innovations. Such initiatives are steps in the right direction," she said.

The President spoke at length about the people who, when confronted with a situation, try to find a way of dealing with it that often times leads to interesting innovations. She urged students of the IITs and other technological institutes to take an interest to establish links with such individuals and mentor them.

"Under your guidance, it is possible, that these grassroots innovators can further fine tune their work and find a market for their inventions," she said.

She also asked the IITians to do their part in serving the society that they are a part of and do their work as service to humankind. She told the students that the society"s as well as their own welfares are interlinked. "A scientist or an engineer who is a good human being, with values of integrity and with a social conscious, will contribute far more to society. It is in returning back to society that a human being responds to their call of duty towards others," she stated.

She further added, "The recent announcement of some of the richest persons of the world to give the majority of their wealth to philanthropy is a reminder of how our knowledge and other wealth can be more utilized for greater good."

"A statement made by Mr. Bill Gates caught my attention. He said that per capita, Indian Institutes of Technology have produced more millionaires than any other undergraduate institution. IITians across the world, indeed, are a very powerful group. They have resources and experience which can be leveraged to generate ideas along with necessary funding for development projects in India."

Towards the end, President Pratibha Patil expressed that she was confident that IITians would always be ready to contribute to India's growth and prosperity.

Conveying her best wishes to IIT-Delhi for the years to come, the President said, "May the Golden Jubilee Year be an occasion to strengthen your resolution to achieve personal success and also to contribute to society and to the Nation."