Kasturi Narayanan's background in electrical engineering has taken him in many directions over the past 20 years, from India to Canada and in between. Now, he is using his well-honed experience to help Canadian businesses succeed on the global stage as an industrial technology advisor (ITA) with the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP).
Kasturi started his career as an R&D engineer in image processing and machine vision at a large IT consulting firm in India, where he worked on projects for semiconductor equipment vendors. He then worked in the area of medical imaging with a large European multinational, and other firms in the area of software development. The experience of liaising with multiple teams in different countries lead him to Edmonton, Alberta and an opportunity in business development for a non-profit research institute. Kasturi became further entrenched in Alberta's innovation sector by working as a project manager with a large IT consulting firm, where he led a multi-vendor IT solution for Alberta Health ministry. He also served as a part-time lecturer at the University of Lethbridge where he taught an undergraduate course in information systems.
Kasturi joined NRC IRAP in 2014 as an ITA and began working with clients in a number of industrial sectors. With his first client in the area of fibre glass composites, and his second client in the area of window manufacturing, Kasturi developed a good appreciation for the role that ITAs play in problem solving for Canadian small and medium-sized businesses.
"NRC IRAP advisors come from a variety of technical and business backgrounds. Our collaborative effort in problem solving for clients across multiple industry sectors is truly unique to the program and keeps me motivated every day. NRC IRAP's client-focussed decision making and portfolio management keeps us grounded in reality, and ensures that we are generating the best outcomes for Canadian businesses.."
Kasturi was a recipient of the "NRC IRAP Prairies Regional Award" for his positive impact on his regional clients. He is now part of the NRC IRAP's International Networks Team where he focusses on helping Canadian businesses access international co-innovation and partnering opportunities through the EUREKA cluster programs related to electronics and telecommunication.