“Given the inclination of the Group company CEOs for technology implementations and the enthusiasm for innovation in the Company CTOs, I am confident that the Tata Group is on its way to creating breakthrough innovations by leveraging technology synergies among the group companies,” says Dr. Gopichand Katragadda, Group CTO, Tata Group. In conversation with Abhishek Raval
You are the first CTO of the Tata Group. How do you see the role that you have to play in the organisation?
My role is basically to partner with Tata Group Companies and raise the innovation quotient across the entire group. This would include working at the interface of the businesses and the technologies with the aim of delivering technology ideas that are pathbreaking on a global level.
As the first CTO of the Tata Group, what is your vision for creating new technology synergies for the group?
Cyrus Mistry has challenged the Group CTO office to bring the Tata Group in the league of top 10 technologically innovative companies globally. To accomplish this goal we have to innovate for developing better mechanical systems in the auto industry, material systems in the steel industry, processes in the chemical industries, and digital system across multiple industries. At the same time, we also need to develop the appropriate differentiation at the intersection points of these technologies. For instance, digital systems and mechanical systems (V2X communications, factory floor automation); material systems and chemical systems (Fuel Cells, Graphene); mechanical systems and chemical systems (Precision Agriculture, After Treatment).
The Tata Group comprises of over 100 operating companies, with operations in more than 100 countries.
#Innovation – create with freedom, nurture with passion, and change with detachment!
— Gopichand Katragadda (@Gkatragadda) February 14, 2014
Do you think that it will be challenging to implement the agenda of innovation due to the sheer size and diversity of the group?
Given the inclination of the Group company CEOs for technology implementations and the enthusiasm for innovation in the Company CTOs, I am confident that the Tata Group is on its way to creating breakthrough innovations by leveraging technology synergies among the group companies. We have executed a consortium model for project delivery on synergy projects. The Group Technology Office has also partnered with companies to identify key innovation programmes and track them over the next three years. In addition, we have facilitated university relationships through the CTO forum, and enhanced the focus on IP creation.
What is your view of the technological innovation that is currently happening in the Tata Group companies?
According to the recent Boston Consulting Group report, the Tata Group is among the top 50 most innovative companies in the world. In fact, many Tata Group companies are at the forefront of investing in R&D and innovation. I am particularly excited by the work that Tata Group is doing on the allotrope of carbon, “Graphene,” which is about 200 times stronger than steel by weight and conducts electricity and heat with great efficiency. Tata Steel is able to develop cost-effective technologies for manufacturing graphene. This is a major development, one that can have important impact on many sectors, including electronics, communication, automobile, and steel.
Israel's startup ecosystem is built by confident hands-on people with a technical base and a market understanding. Was impressed!
— Gopichand Katragadda (@Gkatragadda) November 22, 2014
You have been impressed by the educational culture in Israel. Please tell us about it?
The moment you walk into Israel, you are struck by the confidence of the Israeli youth. The confidence in these youngsters, I have come to know, gets developed at a very young age due to the military training they undergo. Serving in the armed forces is mandatory for few years before they can join the University for further education. By the time they go to the university, they have already lived a tough life in the armed forces and are in a better position to appreciate the value of education.
Calculating the RoI of new technology implementations has always been a difficult subject. What is view on the RoI that can be garnered from innovations and technologies?
We look at the RoI, in terms of the revenues and profits that get generated from new products and services. Lead measures include disclosure, patent applications, patents granted, and patents in product. India needs to get savvier at IP generation and protection. While increasing patents, we should also focus on creating portfolios of quality patents. Individual patents can be worked around, hence the need to generate portfolios in strategic areas of importance.
Quality measures for a patent including forward citations indicate the value of a patent. We need to put innovation capability at the core of our operating structures and appropriately invest
in R&D.
