Continuing to position itself as a leading innovation-driven institution in India, National Institute of Technology-Rourkela has achieved a milestone by recording 100 patents.
Of the 101 patents, 97 are national and four international. Considering the time typically required for patent examination and approval, the impact of the 2025 filing surge is expected to be reflected more prominently in the current and subsequent years. In 2025 alone, the Institute was granted 23 patents, marking growth over previous years, said NIT authorities on Thursday.
The key innovation areas for which NIT R got the patents are very diverse in nature. The fields are AI-based vehicular communication systems, autonomous drone technologies, industrial waste treatment prototypes, health-monitoring IoT devices, sustainable food packaging technologies and advanced materials derived from waste resources.
Commenting on the achievement, Prof. K. Umamaheshwar Rao, Director, NIT Rourkela, said, “we are proud of our contribution towards the country.”
“Surpassing 100 granted patents marks a significant milestone in NIT Rourkela’s journey toward building a strong culture of research, innovation, and intellectual property creation. With over 230 patents filed and 101 granted to date, our growing portfolio reflects impactful work across priority areas”, he added.
“With 91 patent applications filed in 2025 alone, we are accelerating our efforts to strengthen an innovation-driven ecosystem and aim to double the number of granted patents in the coming year”, he further said.
NIT Rourkela’s Centre for Intellectual Property Rights (CIPR) serves as a comprehensive platform for intellectual property development and support system for the faculty in filing patents to protect and secure their innovations and technologies. It supports creating awareness and capacity in IP matters within and beyond the institute, reviewing and approving IP proposals from faculty and students, assisting in patent filing, prosecution, and grant processes, facilitating licensing, technology transfer, and collaborations and supporting MoUs and issuing NOCs related to IP matters.