Adopt knowledge translation for social benefits: Bindu

Higher Education Minister R. Bindu has laid stress on the government’s priority in facilitating knowledge translation to usher in social benefits rather than catering to the interests of corporate establishments

Higher Education Minister R. Bindu has laid stress on the government’s priority in facilitating knowledge translation to usher in social benefits rather than catering to the interests of corporate establishments. It focused on improving the quality of life and ensuring social justice, particularly in the case of knowledge translation in the public health sector, she added.

The Minister was speaking while inaugurating a workshop on ‘Medical and Biomedical Knowledge Translation’ at the Achutha Menon Centre for Health Science Studies here on Tuesday (March 21).

The workshop was organised by the Kerala Medical Technology Consortium (KMTC) in association with Kerala State Higher Education Council (KSHEC) and the Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute of Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST) for senior researchers, students and faculty who are involved in the area of translational or applied research in medical sciences and medical technology.

Dr. Bindu emphasised the need to undertake research in order to transform knowledge not only into uses and services, but also into property and products. The dynamic process involves ideas, external relations, communication and collaboration with multiple agencies for joint actions.

“This transformation is all the more important in the healthcare sector. As elsewhere in the country, our best brains are in the medical colleges demonstrating a world class standard in clinical practice. But unlike elsewhere in the world, our medical professionals, deprived of methodological preoccupation, remain blind before a plethora of data right under their nose. With the cooperation of the premier institutions like SCTIMST and the State Board of Medical Research, we hope to build a research ecosystem in our medical institutions,” the Minister said.  

KSHEC vice chairman Rajan Gurukkal, Digital University of Kerala Vice-Chancellor Saji Gopinath, former Director General of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research Samir Kumar Brahmachari, SCTIMST Director Sanjay Behari, KMTC special officer C. Padmakumar, managing director Rajesh, KSHEC member secretary Rajan Varughese and coordinator Jaleel U.C. also participated.