Bengaluru: The Foundation for Science, Innovation and Development (FSID) at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) has appointed industry leader Omprakash Subbarao as its Chief Executive Officer, marking a shift in the organisation’s governance and leadership structure.
Under the new model, Subbarao will lead FSID as a full-time industry professional and report to the FSID Board, with operational responsibility for the organisation’s day-to-day management, external engagements and execution of its programmes.
IISc Professor Suryasarthy Bose has been appointed Professor-in-Charge to provide institutional oversight and serve as the principal interface between FSID and IISc.
FSID said the new structure is intended to combine professional, industry-oriented executive leadership with institutional oversight from IISc as it enters its next phase of growth. The organisation is also working towards becoming a self-sustaining Section 8 company built around two areas: innovation and incubation.
Subbarao is an alumnus of IISc and has experience spanning technology, industry, public digital infrastructure and innovation. Before taking over as CEO, he served as CEO of CORE Labs at FSID, where he led research and innovation collaborations with large corporates.
Historically, FSID has been led by faculty members of IISc. The appointment of Subbarao makes him the first industry leader to head the organisation.
According to FSID, the leadership change is aimed at deepening corporate engagement, expanding industry partnerships and increasing its reach in India and overseas.
“Our vision is ‘Built on Science, Scaled for the World’. We are building FSID around two strong pillars: Innovation and Incubation,” Subbarao said.
He said FSID aims to work more closely with multinational corporations, Indian companies and MSMEs while creating stronger pathways to translate scientific research into real-world applications.
By 2030, FSID aims to undertake 1,000 industry projects and build a portfolio of 300 deep-tech startups.
Subbarao said the organisation would follow an open, domain-agnostic approach to incubation and strengthen partnerships with industry to position FSID as a platform connecting science, industry and entrepreneurship.
FSID has also been expanding its industry engagement through Innovation Hub (iHUB), its innovation and research facility that brings corporates and startups closer to IISc’s scientific ecosystem.
The facility provides R&D laboratories for corporate partners as well as infrastructure for incubated startups. Companies including BEML, Toyo Ink and Schaeffler have established research labs and workspaces at iHUB, according to FSID.
The organisation said these facilities are intended to support closer collaboration between industry and researchers, technology development and industry-led innovation.
The new governance structure will give the CEO operational autonomy within the framework approved by the FSID Board, while the Professor-in-Charge will ensure continued institutional linkage with IISc.
