NIRF Ranking: The Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT-K) has topped the NIRF Rankings 2023 in the `Innovation` category. With record-breaking 109 IPRs (Intellectual Property Rights) filed in 2022 and 950 overall IPRs filed till date, along with 130 technologies being licensed to Industry partners, the institute has a remarkable translational rate of 13.68 per cent. According to an official release, IIT-K`s ground-breaking work in innovation includes licensing a pioneering technology to Reliance Life Sciences Pvt. Ltd. that has the potential to revolutionise the field of gene therapy, especially for many genetic eye diseases. There are many inherited disorders caused by a faulty gene.

`Gene Therapy` is a way to replace the faulty gene with a functional version of the gene to treat such disorders. This marks the first time that a gene therapy-related technology has been developed and transferred from an academic institution to a company in India. The gene therapy technology from IIT-K will be further developed as an indigenous product by Reliance Life Sciences. The premium institute also developed a nano-hydroxyapatite-based porous polymer composite, aiming to overcome the problems related to bone and joint disorders, and capable of biocompatible bone regeneration. This innovation has been licensed to a healthcare-based company named Ortho Regenics Pvt Ltd.