THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Indian researchers need to be more ‘patent-driven’ so that their patented inventions can generate profit for the industry and thereby contribute to the country’s economic growth, noted Japanese research engineer Akihiko Sugiyama (a.k.a. Ken Sugiyama) , who has over 200 patents to his credit, has said.

In an interaction with TNIE on the sidelines of an invited talk in the capital, Akihiko also urged Indian students and researchers to utilise the immense opportunities in Japan’s industrial sector for internship and advanced research.

“There are emerging sectors such as bio-engineering and bio-signal processing that hold immense potential for researchers. Not to be forgotten is the strong automobile and ancillary industries that make up more than 15% of Japan’s overall industry,” Akihiko said.

Akihiko, with a career spanning over three decades with NEC Central Research Laboratories and Yahoo! Japan Research, said contribution to a product or a specific project is more valued by the industry in Japan than high academic credentials or publishing of many research papers.

“It is true that the funding for academic research is coming down. But there is no dearth of opportunities for talented young minds to get trained at an early stage and eventually absorbed by top companies the world over,” he opined.