After compatriots Intel and GE, the US-headquartered multinational Applied Materials has signed up for financial support under the Scientific and Engineering Research Board’s (SERB) ‘Fund for Industry Research Engagement (FIRE)’.
SERB is the Indian government’s arm for promoting scientific research and, under FIRE, it pools funds equally with a company to finance research projects.
The projects are awarded through calls and in academic institutions — a way of crowdsourcing ideas.