Research Parks planned in T.N. universities to bridge industry-academia gap

Real-world projects could be undertaken through the research park, says K. Gopal, Secretary of Higher Education Department

Expressing the commitment of the State Government to implement outcome-based learning, Secretary of Higher Education Department K. Gopal informed in Coimbatore on Friday that research parks would be established in State universities to foster academia-industry collaboration.

Real-world projects could be undertaken through the research parks, Mr. Gopal said, while highlighting the integration of technology into education to equip students for industry requirements, and tracking of their progress.

Addressing the inaugural session of the maiden CII Edu-Tech Expo 2024 of the Confederation of Indian Industry Southern Region, and the eighth edition of its National Higher Education Conclave, the Higher Education Secretary said Tamil Nadu was in the forefront of higher education with 50 % Gross Enrolment Ratio.

Tamil Nadu, he said, has partnered with technology leaders to impart expertise in Industry 4.0, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Cloud Computing and Soft Skills, to develop digitally-empowered workforce, Mr. Gopal said.

Rajesh Varrier, Executive Vice-President, Global Head of Operations, and Chairman and Managing Director, Cognizant India, emphasised on bridging the industry-academia gap by involving industry experts in framing curricula, train the trainers programme for faculty, and internship programmes for students. The industry looks for skills than degrees. Institutions could consider opening up opportunities for life-long learning for alumni, Mr. Rajesh suggested.

The Higher Education Secretary handed over the first copy of the joint report by CII-KPMG on Emerging Trends in Higher Education to S. Malarvizhi, Chairperson and Managing Trustee, Sri Krishna Institutions.

Providing insights into the report earlier, Narayanan Ramasamy, Partner, KPMG, explained how Artificial Intelligence has brought about a change in the education landscape through personalised approach and breaking language barriers.

The report underscores the utility of Immersive Learning Experience, Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, Block Chain Network, and Gamification in bridging the industry-academia gap, Mr. Narayanan said.

R. Nandhini, Chairperson, CII Edu-Tech Expo 2024, CII Southern Region and Founder Trustee, GRG Trust; Shankar Vanavarayar, Past Chairman, CII Tamil Nadu and President, Kumaraguru Institutions; and K Senthil Ganesh, Immediate Past Chairman, CII Coimbatore Zone and Managing Trustee, RVS Group of Institutions, also addressed the inaugural session, which was followed by four technical sessions on future of higher education, emerging trends, nurturing industry-readiness, and commercialisation of intellectual properties.

Published - November 15, 2024 08:48 pm IST