With nearly 200 patent applications filed in the last five years, the $4.3-billion Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Asia''s largest IT company, has chalked out an ambitious programme to strengthen its portfolio of intellectual property (IP) in development and design, business systems and cybernetics, embedded systems, performance engineering, broadband and broadcasting.

The areas in which TCS is focussing its efforts currently include adding virtual ads in videos; calculating vehicle insurance premium; encrypting video sequences; and solutions for wireless communication systems.

Of the 25 patent applications the company filed in 2006-07, it has already been granted three.

TCS Innovation Lab at Delhi, one of the 19 that the company maintains globally, has been working on developing an enterprise software programme, not unlike GoogleApps, called TCSInstantApps, which enables a hosted application to service multiple requirements.

This technology will enable TCS to prepare situational applications for its customers with a very low turnaround in terms of time for their business process innovation for both small and medium businesses as well as large ones.

Among the areas currently under TCS'' research scanner at the TCS Labs is the field of nano-technology from several dimensions like its impact on biotech, electronics and embedded systems. In association with IIT Powai, it s involved on work on an artificial retina using extremely low-power sub-45 nm electronic devices, and also on using DNA-based structures for interconnects in VLSI fabrication.

Another area that the IT giant is keen to develop its IPR strengths is "cognitive radios", a potentially disruptive technology currently being researched for future wireless communications. TCS is working on bringing intelligence to the radios that have an evolutionary path from software-defined radios (SDR).

In January this year the company launched a ''Co-Innovation Network'' (COIN) of clients and partners that enables TCS to work collaboratively with its customers and alliance partners, industry bodies, academic institutions, venture capitalists and Silicon Valley start-ups.