Dear Members,

At the outset, I wish you all a Happy New Year. May the year 2024 be filled with happiness and fulfilment! We have begun the year at IIChE with a team � 2024 of the Council. While conveying my gratitude to the fellow Council Members for entrusting me as the President, I commit to do my best to honour the confidence shown in me. I also welcome my colleagues of the Council. Our objective will be not only to carry forward the dynamism and initiatives of our predecessors but go beyond it by introducing new concepts, ideas and new schemes.
We had a very successful CHEMCON 2023, which also marked the conclusion of the year-long IIChE Platinum Jubilee celebration. CHEMCON 2023 witnessed four days of jam-packed programmes during 27�30 December 2023 at Heritage Institute of Technology Kolkata. Focussing on the central theme of Energy Transition, it included vigorous and insightful lectures, presentations and interactions by renowned academics, research scholars and industry experts.
In today's milieu of globalisation, the indispensability of collaboration and cooperation have been proven beyond any contention. IIChE has all along been a strong advocate of seamless collaboration between academia, research bodies and industry. Every CHEMCON is the best example of such partnership. Other than CHEMCONs, over the years, several collaborations have been in place with a number of fraternal professional organisations in India and abroad as well as industry bodies and research organisations. Our objective will be to expand such endeavour for becoming part of an even wider network of inter-disciplinary forums and to be more visible in the international Chemical Engineering circuit.
Chemical Engineering is an all-encompassing discipline and its expanse is ever widening. The never ending process of development in products, processes, materials, catalysts, equipment, etc., demands continuous update of manpower skills and knowledge of the important resources. In this context, I would like to update our members about the IIChE Training Institute (IIChE TI) that has been initiated last year for broad-basing skill enhancement programmes of IIChE and strengthening the Institute's visibility as a formidable partner in the scheme of national development. Recently its Board of Directors held the first meeting to chart out a detailed road map. The major initiatives that will be launched shortly include:

i. An annual Industry Conclave that will be hosted by one of the Regional Centres (RCs) with financial backup by the Council.

ii. A dedicated R&D lab will be established at the IIChE Headquarters in Kolkata to provide hands-on training to the Student Members of IIChE. A consultancy/testing cell at the HQ office is also on the cards. These setups will boost IIChE's R&D activities and strengthen its credentials among the industries.

iii. IIChE TI will facilitate MSMEs to upgrade quality / Safety / Environment / Zero Discharge / Energy transformation, etc. under the banner of IIChE.

iv. FDP (Faculty Development Programmes) will be conducted across the country under the banner of the IIChE Student Chapters (SCs) or RCs. The programmes will be conducted according to the AICTE modalities. Moreover, AICTE will be approached for recognition of these programmes. Indeed, once the ball sets rolling, newer plans and initiatives will evolve as we make progress.

Such initiatives will offer useful takeaway wraps from IIChE and will strengthen its connect with industries and academia.
A very important aspect of this dynamism will be more active and vigorous involvement of our 47 RCs and 186 SCs.As a matter of fact, the RCs and the SCs are the most important constituent of IIChE. While our collaboration with other stake holders, i.e., industry, academia and research bodies, needs to be widened, at the same time, we need to look inwards and enhance the spirit of partnership not only between the HQ and the RCs / SCs but also among the RCs and the SCs. I request all our colleagues at the RCs and SCs to ponder over this idea and let us know what their opinion is. We will look forward to receiving their constructive suggestions and ideas, which could boost the standing of IIChE at the end.
Looking around the present scenario, a special focus on safety is necessary these days. The challenge for the chemical engineering fraternity is to ensure that the growing knowledge base is appropriately translated into technologies that will nurture humanity and uphold a safe and sustainable earth. It has become all the more essential in the face of the impending climate disaster due to alarming global warming and the growing carbon footprints. Chemical engineers across the globe have great responsibilities in ensuring survival of the Planet Earth by devising and promoting right technologies. Notwithstanding our limited resources and strength, we, the IIChE community, are cut out for our role through advocacy for sustainable development and enhancement of knowledge and practical skill by creating a positive ecosystem. IIChE has been and will continue to focus these important issues steadfastly through workshops, seminars, awareness programmes and so on. In all these, the need for collaboration and partnership between the HQ, RCs and SCs remain indispensable.
Finally, Members are the pillars of IIChE. Without active participation and support of the Members, all endeavours and visions of IIChE will remain a pipe dream. So I request all IIChEians, corporate members as well as the RCs, to take a proactive role in expanding our fraternity by encouraging more and more chemical engineers to join us.

Thank you.

S.I. Thakar

sunilthakar59@gmail.com