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PNN
Troms [Norway], December 24: Prof. Krishna Agarwal, Founder & CEO of Spermotile and Professor at UiT The Arctic University of Norway, shared groundbreaking developments in Arctic medtech innovation with a visiting delegation of young Indian parliamentarians during a high-level knowledge-exchange programme organised by ProTroms. The event also saw participation from UN Women and officials representing the Royal Norwegian Embassy in New Delhi. The delegation consisted of five rising Indian lawmakers--Mr. Anup Sanjay Dhotre, Mr Putta Mahesh Kumar, Mr Sirgapoor Niranjan Reddy, Mr Gowaal Kagada Padavi and Ms Priya Saroj, the youngest Member of Parliament in India at 26. Their visit aimed to understand Norway's unique and progressive models in innovation-driven education, healthcare systems, MSME empowerment and governance rooted in human-centric development. Troms, known for its vibrant Arctic innovation ecosystem, served as a compelling backdrop for the exchange. Prof. Agarwal introduced the delegation to UiT's expanding research landscape and presented advanced work from her laboratory in AI-enabled optical imaging and diagnostic technologies. Her internationally recognised startup, Spermotile, captured particular attention. Using AI-guided motion analysis and microfluidics, the device offers a transformative approach to sperm selection for IVF and ICSI procedures, a development the MPs described as highly relevant for India's rapidly evolving fertility-care ecosystem. She also spoke about her academic journey across India, Singapore and Norway, beginning with her Gold Medal from IIT (ISM) Dhanbad, followed by a PhD from the National University of Singapore and a postdoctoral fellowship at the Singapore-MIT Alliance. Today, she leads one of Norway's fastest-growing medtech research groups, comprising 20 scientists and supported by over EUR23 million in competitive grants from Norwegian and European agencies. Prof. Agarwal's work has earned her several prestigious honours, including the Distinguished Alumnus Award from IIT (ISM) Dhanbad (2020), the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship (2017-2019), the AURORA Outstanding Fellow distinction from the Troms Research Foundation, the URSI Young Scientist Award (2011), the President Graduate Fellowship from the National University of Singapore and the NUS Research Scholarship. Prior to her academic career, she contributed significantly to national defence research as a Scientist at the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO), where she worked on advanced active phased-array radar front-end systems. The interaction in Troms further strengthened the growing cooperation between India and Norway in science, technology and sustainable development. The MPs commended Prof. Agarwal's pioneering journey and noted the global relevance of her innovations. The visit is expected to encourage deeper Indo-Norwegian partnerships in medtech research, technology transfer and collaborative innovation in the years ahead. (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same.)
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