Higher edu secy hints at R&D boost plans | Bhubaneswar News
Bhubaneswar: Higher education secretary Aravind Agrawal on Friday said the govt has made several plans focusing on research and development.
“A draft plan has been prepared. More details will emerge after the plan is approved by the govt,” he said while attending the Odisha Research Conclave-2024 at Fakir Mohan University, Balasore.
He said the govt will work towards increasing investment in the field of research and development in state public universities. “Innovation and research are key factors because they are the cornerstone for any developed society,” he added.
“There is an urgent need to have proper collaboration between universities and higher education institutes (HEIs) functioning in Odisha. Through this, a university/HEI can use the available facilities of another institute for research. They can learn from each other and grow unitedly,” he added.
Agrawal said Odisha has made significant improvements in research because state public universities under the department registered around 20 patents in the last two years. “Some of them went into industrial production,” he added.
He spoke about improving the research quality of state public universities so the govt will not depend on other institutes for research and consultancy works. “We will create a better research ecosystem in the state. It will help us to get more patents and products for the state and country’s development,” he added.
Under the Centre’s PM Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (PM-USHA) scheme, four state public universities have been selected to be upgraded into MERU (Multidisciplinary Education and Research University).
He said each university will receive Rs 100 crore for their upgrade into MERU. These institutions are Berhampur University, Ravenshaw University, Cuttack, Sambalpur University and Maharaja Sriram Chandra Bhanja Deo University, Baripada. “These institutions will focus on research works,” he added.
Agarwal said they have mapped the strength of each university and set up centres of excellence according to their areas of strength. “Research has been the focus of our department. We are planning to set up more centres of excellence in the coming days,” he added.
“We are holding the fourth edition of Odisha Research Conclave (ORC) this year. The conclave has received a very good response. More than 400 researchers attended the conclave. It shows its acceptance among researchers and universities,” he added.
“A draft plan has been prepared. More details will emerge after the plan is approved by the govt,” he said while attending the Odisha Research Conclave-2024 at Fakir Mohan University, Balasore.
He said the govt will work towards increasing investment in the field of research and development in state public universities. “Innovation and research are key factors because they are the cornerstone for any developed society,” he added.
“There is an urgent need to have proper collaboration between universities and higher education institutes (HEIs) functioning in Odisha. Through this, a university/HEI can use the available facilities of another institute for research. They can learn from each other and grow unitedly,” he added.
Agrawal said Odisha has made significant improvements in research because state public universities under the department registered around 20 patents in the last two years. “Some of them went into industrial production,” he added.
He spoke about improving the research quality of state public universities so the govt will not depend on other institutes for research and consultancy works. “We will create a better research ecosystem in the state. It will help us to get more patents and products for the state and country’s development,” he added.
Under the Centre’s PM Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (PM-USHA) scheme, four state public universities have been selected to be upgraded into MERU (Multidisciplinary Education and Research University).
He said each university will receive Rs 100 crore for their upgrade into MERU. These institutions are Berhampur University, Ravenshaw University, Cuttack, Sambalpur University and Maharaja Sriram Chandra Bhanja Deo University, Baripada. “These institutions will focus on research works,” he added.
Agarwal said they have mapped the strength of each university and set up centres of excellence according to their areas of strength. “Research has been the focus of our department. We are planning to set up more centres of excellence in the coming days,” he added.
“We are holding the fourth edition of Odisha Research Conclave (ORC) this year. The conclave has received a very good response. More than 400 researchers attended the conclave. It shows its acceptance among researchers and universities,” he added.
