Research in majority of engineering colleges at nascent stage

Updated on: Thursday, January 20, 2011

Research in a majority of the engineering colleges in and around the city is still in the nascent stages.

After a survey of 170-odd affiliated colleges, the Anna University of Technology, Chennai (AUTC), has recognised departments in just 19 engineering colleges as centres of research.

The qualification criteria were simple. The institutions should have more than seven years' standing and the departments should have two doctoral degree holders as faculty with two publications each at the national or international level. To their surprise, the AUTC officials have found that only 19 colleges fit the criteria.

“The focus in a majority of the colleges is more on under graduate engineering education than on master's degree programmes or research,” says Prof. C. Thangaraj, Vice-Chancellor, AUTC. Of the 19 engineering colleges, only six colleges have five or more departments, which qualify as research centres. Three colleges have three departments each as research centres. Only one college is qualified as a research centre in bio-technology. The 20 colleges that received recognition this year were left out of the survey as they were yet to appoint faculty for the engineering degree programmes offered, officials said emphasising that the identification would ensure that engineering colleges did not forget research altogether in pursuit of academic excellence.

During inspections, AUTC officials realised that the engineering colleges focussed more on providing fundamental education and left the domain of research with the universities.

“The focus on research in even top-notch engineering colleges was not up to the mark. Research should gradually replace the prevailing management philosophy of return on investment,” a senior academic said. The AUTC's Board of Research, which discussed the issue on Wednesday, has decided to have in place new criteria, subject to the approval of the Vice-Chancellor, and devise a sustained programme to encourage and promote research in affiliated colleges.

Research in majority of engineering colleges at nascent stage

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