MIT Media Lab, part of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), is increasing its focus

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on India. The lab, which re-started its India initiative two years ago, is talking to companies and academic institutions about innovation and partnerships.

Mihir Sarkar, president – India initiatives, MIT Media Lab told FC, “We are interested in creating a link between organisations or institutions and ourselves for innovation. There is a lot of research being done at MIT Media Lab that we think is relevant to India. Our researchers are interested because it is a huge country with diverse and English speaking population and available technology.”

The unit is already working with NGOs in Rajasthan for Jaipur foot and Bangalore-based Aagastya in education. Sarkar said MIT Media Lab students travel to Jaipur in summer to study and co-develop new prosthetic foots. A ‘Drawdio’ (a pencil that creates sound) based on a programming solution for learning called Scratch, invented by Jay Silver is being used by Aagastya to inculcate learning among students in Bangalore and villages in Karnataka.

MIT Media Lab is now in discussions with leading companies across sectors like IT, telecom, entertainment and auto, to sponsor and help in innovation.

While no Indian company has so far sponsored the lab, TCS has worked with it on the Scratch project. Media Lab is also reaching out to college students by holding a workshop at BITs Pilani’s new campus in July with an aim to foster innovation.”The initiatives that we are taking now are different from the approach we took earlier,” Sarkar said. He said the next two nations the lab was eyeing initiatives are China and Brazil.