President Pratibha Patil while addressing the 10th convocation ceremony of the Bharati Vidyapeeth University (BVU) envisioned Pune
as the next centre for excellence and emphasised the need to focus on innovative approaches and research practices at Universities.The BVU became a deemed university in April 1996 and runs a network of 185 institutions across Pune, Navi Mumbai, Sangli, Solapur, Kolhapur, Karad and Delhi.
Pune is home to the largest state university, besides six deemed universities, which collectively account for over 40 engineering, two medical colleges and a vast network of other institutions offering education in pharmacy, management and law, among others.
With a student population of over five lakh, the city also has a large network of nationally and internationally recognised research laboratories such as the NCL, NIV, NCCS, ARI and DRDO establishments. Of late, there has been a growing emphasis on greater interaction between the institutions and research facilities.
