Universities and industries can now form Research and Development (R&D) clusters at the State or Central level to address the technological needs of the region in collaboration with the MSME/MHI (ministry of heavy industries)/department of Industries of State Governments. This also equips students with the necessary skill sets and prepares them for the workforce through internships. The cluster may develop a technology-focused method to identify local issues, assign the same projects to the students, and have them receive credit for the work.
The “Guidelines for Sustainable University-Industry Collaboration in Indian Universities” were approved in the University Grants Commission (UGC) meeting on June 27, 2023, and they will be made public on June 30 for comments. The creation of R&D clusters at the State or regional levels through University-Industry (UI) links has been requested of higher education institutions.
The National Educational Policy 2020, according to M. Jagadesh Kumar, chairperson of UGC, suggests lively UI connection, with a focus on exposing students to real-life examples and fostering their global competency.
“The guidelines will encourage industry and university collaborations in research and development. The creation of training and apprenticeship possibilities in the industries, R&D labs, and research organisations would be aided by the establishment of links between universities and industry, according to Kumar.
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A regional R&D Advisory Committee that advises the R&D growth in the cluster may be established, as per guidelines, by the institution acting as the cluster leader. In addition to looking into funding options from various stakeholders, higher education institutions must establish an Industry Relations Cell (IRC) to enable joint project creation between a university faculty group and an industry group. The industry have been asked to establish the University Relations Cell (URC) in order to meet and service their R&D demands.
