The IC² Institute is pleased to announce the newest IC² Fellow, Nirankar Saxena. IC² recognizes his significant contribution in fostering Indo-US collaboration in science, technology and innovation.
Nirankar Saxena is a Senior Director of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). FICCI is India’s largest and oldest apex business organization, representing over 250,000 companies and providing a platform for consensus building within industry sectors and among industry, government and society. Saxena heads FICCI’s Centre for Innovation & Technology Commercialization / Science and Technology. For the past nine years, the Centre has recruited, assessed and commercialized innovative Indian technologies domestically and internationally. The Indian Innovation Growth Program (IIGP), a joint FICCI-IC² initiative sponsored by Lockheed Martin and India’s Department of Science and Technology, has achieved a cumulative economic impact of $814 million plus employment of 3422, according to a 2015 study completed by Ernst & Young.
Saxena led FICCI to become a founding partner of the Millennium Alliance. The Alliance addresses development challenges by leveraging Indian expertise and resources to scale innovative solutions developed in India that will benefit developing and underdeveloped populations across India and the world. Under FICCI’s and USAID’s leadership, the Alliance brings together stakeholders within India’s social innovation ecosystem to provide innovators with needed resources and services.
Saxena also founded:
- Science & Technology Policy Advocacy and Research Group
- Industry Innovation Cluster Initiative to explore appropriate measures of encouraging innovation-based entrepreneurship and competitiveness among Indian MSMEs.
Saxena is a co-chair or member of the following Government of India or United Nations committees:
- Co-Chair of United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction
- C V Raman International Fellowship for African Research Selection Committee
- National Innovation Council Committee
- Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Disaster Management Committee
- National Science & Technology Entrepreneurship Development Board
- National Committee for setting up Innovation Hubs in Science Centres & Organizations
Nirankar Saxena (right) receives certificate from Sid Burback of the IC² Institute.