State forms cluster of inter-university centres

Updated on: Tuesday, October 06, 2009

The reforms in degree-level education initiated by the Kerala State Higher Education Council and the concept of the Inter-university centres mooted by the Department of Higher Education reflect the twin emphasis that is being sought to be created in the higher education sector in Kerala today—an inter-disciplinary and inter-institutional mode of learning and research.

Now, within the framework of the Inter-university centres the government has carved out a ‘cluster’ of such centres that would carry out teaching, research and outreach programmes relating to bio-sciences.

“The cluster includes Centre for Biosciences in Kannur University, Centre for Marine Biotechnology in CUSAT, Centre for Medical Bio-Sciences in M.G. University, Centre for Bioinformatics in Kerala University and Centre for Plant Biotechnology in Calicut University. The centres will start functioning within one or two months, and will work in close affinity with other Research Centres pertaining to Bioscience Research in India. The Centre in Plant Biotechnology has already started functioning,” a document sourced from the higher education department reads.

THE Education Minister M. A. Baby told The Hindu-EducationPlus that the government’s aim is to fund centres of excellence that will then make available state-of-the art equipment and other infrastructure for the academic community in the State. “While it is our wish to get national-level inter-university centres as envisaged by the UGC and the MHRD, we are taking the initiative to set up Kerala’s own multi-disciplinary, collaborative centres so that the barriers of disciplines do not stand in the way of academic progress,” he explained. Each inter-university centre is mandated to harness, facilitate and further the collective potential of the already-available expertise in various disciplines in the State. Each centre is also expected to scout for opportunities for research and act as a catalyst for an inter-disciplinary research in that area.

Having a cluster of such centre is expected to give academia the clearest possible prioritisation of research areas. Such a ‘cluster’ of experts are also expected to be able to chart out strategies for mapping the state’s bio-resources, for sustainable utilisation of such resources, for securing the intellectual property rights of such resources and for creating platforms to reach the fruits of their research to the common man.

In addition to this, each inter-university centre is mandated to develop postgraduate programmes in the relevant discipline and to be the point of contact for other, similar research institutions outside the state. “One of the primary missions of the centres is to develop a diverse workforce of educators, scientists, engineers, and practitioners to advance this new technology in India and around the world. Post Graduate Teaching and Research at Doctoral level in the concerned field is designed as the prime academic function of the centres,” the Department note points out.

Each two-year PG programme at a centre is expected to accommodate 15 students. The first year would have theory classes, mini projects and an industrial training component. In the second year the students would do a major project and would submit a dissertation. Each centre would also have a doctoral programme with 10 researchers, short-term programs such as seminars or, laboratory training targeting high-achiever students with an aptitude for science, technology or law, a visiting faculty programme wherein teachers from various departments can visit other universities in ‘exchange’ for return visits by experts.

State forms cluster of inter-university centres

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