With none of the Indian universities or institutions figuring in the Global Ranking list, a peeved HRD Ministry has decided to immediately disburse funds to 12 States to boost research and innovation in higher education.
The funds to the tune of `120 crore have been allocated to support different types of research programmes like base research, key technology (R&D), High end (R&D), etc which have been noted as weak points for not making it into world class institutions.
A senior HRD Ministry official said that all innovative schemes will be funded as per the decision of the PAB (Project Approval Board) for setting up of science parks and cutting edge technology and instrumentation facility as part of the `90,000 crore Rashtriya Uchchatara Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) sanctioned by the Centre last month under the component of Research, Innovation and Quality Improvement Component at higher educational institutions and universities across the country.
“The funds will also take care of promoting inter-disciplinary and trans-disciplinary research centres as well as promoting research and entrepreneurial activities. Some other areas to be funded under the Research and Innovation Component are: Initiative to attract quality researchers and students; institutions that offer merit-based scholarships, fully funded doctoral fellowships, post-doctoral fellowships; faculty and students exchange programmes with world-class institutions; and initiatives to scale up industry-academia partnership,” said the official.
The States to receive the first lot of allocation include Andaman & Nicobar, Assam, Bihar, Chandigarh, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Nagaland, Odisha, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh.
“The States will have to prepare a Research and Innovation Plan (RIP). PAB will be at liberty to approve the plan in its entity or restrict it to a few selected interventions. States can leverage this plan through PPP, industry participation etc and weightage will be assigned wherever extra resources are promised in the RIP,” he said.