The diversity of businesses in the Tata Group offers a unique advantage in terms of both infrastructural and intellectual strengths and subject matter expertise in different domains. However, these advantages could be better exploited if the Group companies share the resources and skills of their talented engineers, technologists and scientists in collaboration to solve the existing technological challenges as well as chart out and work on futuristic technological projects. 

Learning from companies like Intel, 3M, Microsoft, University of Cambridge and a few others also reinforce the fact that:

• 'Technology & Research (T&R)' plays a key role in Product and Process Innovation
• Innovative companies (like 3M) make investments in R&D in diversified areas. They regularly bring together different disciplines of R&D in a systematic manner to trigger innovations
• The innovation ecosystem of Cambridge flourishes primarily because it brings together the experts from different disciplines, though in an informal manner

The Tata Group is much diversified but focus on T&R is very limited, and only a few companies have formal processes and investments in Research. With this in mind
The Tata InnoClusters were conceptualized to meet the following objectives:

• Leverage existing capabilities and technologies to enhance and innovate through our products & services, and also solve current technical problems
• Brainstorm to conceive a few larger Research projects that could be possible only by collaboration amongst few companies (and may be along with institutes)
• Bring more focus on T&R within companies

As a preparatory measure towards establishing the need for bringing T&R professionals together, an exercise was undertaken to seek the opinions of personnel across the Group on key issues, which hinder such synergistic efforts and their possible remedies. Based on the conversations with the concerned personnel, including the MDs, CEOs, R&D/Technology heads, junior researchers and technologists, the following key findings emerged:

• Professionals working in R&D are ignorant about the capabilities and potential of other Group companies
• Technology is adapted (bought or acquired through JV) by many companies. Development of new technology is not one of the highest priorities for several companies
• Minor improvements in the current technology to achieve marginally higher productivity remain the current trend. Focus on IPR generation is very low
• High attrition rates in R&D are attributed mainly to lack of challenging projects for talented engineers and scientists. Cross-functional, cross-technology projects could provide them an opportunity to work in new areas.
• Smaller companies within a Business Sector (our seven Business Sectors) depend on bigger companies in the same Business Sector for R&T, but often do not get priority. 

In order to operationalize the concept of InnoClusters, a core team comprising following executives was formed.

• Dr Murali Sastry (Chief Scientist, Tata Chemicals)
• Dr Clive Hickman (CEO, TMETC and Head ERC, Tata Motors) and Dr John Richmond (Head, Advanced Engineering, TMETC)
• Mr Ananth Krishnan (CTO, TCS)
• Dr Debashish Bhattacharjee (Chief, R&D, Tata Steel) and Dr T Venugopal (CTO, Tata Steel) 

This team recommended using a Cluster approach for bringing interested Tata companies together on carefully identified subjects. Honeywell and Dupont are also successfully using this method of regularly bringing together Research professionals to identify opportunities for innovation, collaboration and problem solving.

Tata InnoClusters have now become a platform for technology personnel to take the centre-stage to discuss their most pressing challenges and dreams.

Collaborative innovation projects are identified and tracked in these regularly held Innocluster meetings.