• The Department of Science and Technology (DST) is setting up a shared, professionally managed, Science and Technology (S&T) infrastructure facility, which can be readily be accessible to academia, start-ups, manufacturing units, industries and R&D Labs. Such S&T infrastructure will be known as Sophisticated Analytical & Technical Help Institute (SATHI). These centres are equipped with major analytical instruments and advanced manufacturing facilities, which are usually not available at Institutes/Organisations. The aim is to provide professionally managed services with efficiency, accessibility and transparency of highest order under one roof to service the demands of industry, start-ups and academia.
• In the first phase SATHI facilities are being located at IIT-Delhi (http://crf.iitd.ac.in/sathi/index.html), IIT-Kharagpur (http://www.sathi.iitkgp.ac.in/) and Banaras Hindu University (BHU)-Varanasi (https://sathibhu.org/).
• This effort is expected to reach out much needed less endowed organisations like MSMEs, Start-ups, State Universities and Colleges fostering a strong culture of research collaboration between institutions and across disciplines to take advantage of developments, innovations and expertise in diverse areas.
• Largely this scheme is focusing at (a) procurement and maintenance of high-end equipment and infrastructure facility necessary for research/testing/manufacturing/fabrication. To cater service by understanding the demands of researchers, scientists, students, start-ups, manufacturing units, industries and R&D labs, (b) providing access and sharing of scientific equipment and infrastructure, (c) capacity building of operators and technicians for efficient operations and interpretations of results/outcome, (d) monitoring of usage of expensive scientific research infrastructure for maximum utilization of infrastructure management with efficient operations and to be a part of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’ (Self Reliant India Campaign).
• Inclusive purpose of SATHI is generation/creation of knowledge adopting best practices of such facility, expansion of different knowledge chain that starts from R&D to applied science then to translational research side and how to take forward to next stage to gain better societal outreach.
• Perceptibly, this would encourage & ensure to create a National Network of Laboratories and testing facilities, tightly linked to global standards. Hence higher efficacy through (T2C2) focused Viz: Technology, Testing, Certification & Compliance, approach through SATHI will boost-up the manufacturing clusters/industries.
• SATHI facilities will be used for 80% of their available time by external users i.e. outside of the host institutes and rest 20% of available time for internal users of the host institute. The usage of the facility will be guided by the basic principle of maximum and effective utilization and accessibility to all.
• The facilities provided by the SATHI may be utilized by any user/organization on payment of nominal charges.

Thrust Areas of SATHI

• The aim of SATHI is to provide a shared, professionally managed services and strong Science and Technology infrastructure/facilities with efficiency, accessibility and transparency of highest order under one roof to service the demands of faculty, researchers, scientist and students of host and user institutes/organisations (including other academic institutes, universities, national laboratories, start-ups, manufacturing and engineering industries, SME’s, R&D Labs) to enable them to carry out R&D activities on a round the clock basis with minimum downtime.
• SATHI will have facilities for fabrication work, rapid prototyping, material testing, characterisation, new device fabrication, smart manufacturing and characterisation facilities etc., to attract and help R&D labs, industrial R&D, MSME, incubators and start-ups, etc.
• To organise short-term courses/workshops/seminars/hands-on training programme etc. on the use and application of various instruments and techniques for both external and internal users/researcher and provide the technical help and scientific knowledge to the end users while accessing these sophisticated scientific instruments.
• To train technicians for maintenance and operation of the sophisticated scientific instruments and keep a record book of these people trained with various specialised equipment available with respective centres and to engage these trained persons, while required for any other SATHI centres for better societal outreach and utilisation of these trained manpower.