President Pranab Mukherjee has instituted Visitor’s awards for best university, research and innovations. All central universities, of which the President of India is Visitor, will be eligible for the award for the best university. “All central universities, of which the President of India is Visitor, will be eligible for the award for the best university,” said a notification issued by the President’s Secretariat. All faculty members and students of all the central universities will be eligible for the Visitor’s award for innovation as well as Visitor’s award for research. Individuals or group of individuals can also apply, it said. The purpose of the award is to encourage excellence through competition. The Visitor’s award for research will be given for path-breaking research carried out by individual or group of the central university during the year, it said.