NITs, IISERs to align programmes with industry-led R&D

New Delhi: Leading science and technology institutes, including NITs and IISERs, will realign curricula to emerging technology needs, overhaul PhD programmes, and build an ecosystem for industry-aligned R&D, following decisions taken at two key meetings chaired by Dharmendra Pradhan on Tuesday.

At the 13th meeting of the Council of National Institutes of Technology, Science Education and Research, the National Institutes of Technology agreed to align curricula and assessments with critical new technologies, roll out industry-linked postgraduate and PhD programmes, and take steps to enable effective learning for students from diverse linguistic backgrounds. The NITs also committed to completing external peer reviews within a year and actively participating in the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) framework, in line with the National Education Policy, 2020.

Separately, the third meeting of the IISER Standing Committee decided to introduce a Flexible Learning Entry and Exit framework (iFLEX) across all Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research, allowing students multiple entry and exit options, including one-semester experiential or R&D-linked internships. IISERs will also set up research parks and incubators to co-locate academia, startups and industry R&D, and undertake a comprehensive review of their PhD programmes to identify and address gaps.


Each IISER has been asked to establish a Section 8 company to advance national and international priority research, bridge academic research with industry partnerships, and attract funding from philanthropic, CSR, government and private sources.

Chairing the meetings, Pradhan called for more "student-focused approaches" to unlock the potential of young talent and greater emphasis on "outcome-centric research" to improve ease of living and drive societal advancement.