Cabinet to consider bill on innovation universities

Updated on: Thursday, January 12, 2012

The bill for setting up of world class Innovation Universities, 14 by the government and also by private sector, is all set for Cabinet clearance with a major change from its earlier draft. HRD ministry has accepted Planning Commission's view that not all innovation universities be planned from scratch but existing institutions be turned world class.

Bill for the Cabinet now consists of a provision that would allow even existing universities to be notified as innovation universities.

Ministry of minority affairs had pointed out that the bill does not mention minority institutions. It had asked HRD ministry to clarify if a university set up by minorities would be termed innovation university and minority institution at the same time. HRD ministry has said rights of minorities as guaranteed in Article 30 of the Constitution would apply in case of innovation universities also.

But HRD ministry has not agreed with another comment by the Planning Commission that there are almost no world class universities which have been set up on a thematic basis and that there is a need to identify a broad list of emerging knowledge domains with global relevance. HRD has contended that even if the proposed Innovation Universities are thematic, it is expected that an "ecosystem of learning will be created on the theme with possibilities of inter-disciplinary learning and research.

As for observation by finance ministry that it would be difficult to make privately funded Innovation Universities eligible for government fund for research unless the results of such research are accessible to government for public good. The bill, HRD says, provides for constituting an expert group for research audit to evaluate and assess the research undertaken with public funds. Bill also mandates that intellectual property created out of public funds be disclosed and government can even acquire it.

Times of India

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