The government’s mission to attain a knowledge economy found resonance in the 2022-23 fiscal budget of APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University (KTU) that was presented here on Monday.
The document has provided thrust on translational research and innovative startups through industry-academia linkages.
The Board of Governors of the university approved the ₹47.74-crore deficit budget, presented by Syndicate member and finance committee chairman P.K. Biju, which anticipates a revenue of ₹566.98 crore and expenditure of ₹614.72 crore.
An outlay of ₹20 crore will be earmarked for establishing a Translational Research Centre that will promote the development of scientific knowledge by strengthening collaborations between industries, startups, government agencies, and research units at affiliated colleges. A further allocation of ₹5 crore has been made for university-industry joint ventures that is aimed at exposing students to the ‘industry culture’ to help them become entrepreneurs.
Three Centers of Excellence will also be established under the university using an allocation of ₹30 crore to undertake advanced research in three leading-edge areas of specialisation.
A significant allocation of ₹60 crore has been set aside for the first-phase development of KTU’s permanent campus at Vilappilsala. The headquarters will house facilities for innovation ecosystems, startups, business incubators, industrial parks, etc. to convert the campus into an industry/academic hub. The university has also earmarked ₹50 crore to establish its proposed engineering schools that would enable it to conduct its own specialised courses in emerging areas.
Innovation centres would be established in affiliated institutions to promote innovation and startups ventures piloted by students and teachers. An amount of ₹19 crore has been earmarked to establish the necessary infrastructure and utilities required to launch such start-ups.
An allocation of ₹3 crore has been made for the university’s career guidance and placement cell. Besides imparting career guidance, the cell will focus on finalising agreements with reputed firms and industrial establishments to enhance the job prospects of undergraduates and postgraduates.
A remote examination monitoring system is also in the offing to prevent examination malpractices and minimise the role of invigilators. A robust network of CCTV cameras will be established. Besides, online transmission, printing and delivery of question papers will be made transparent. An amount of ₹10 crore has been set aside for the purposes.
An online examination system has also been proposed for selected programmes. It will be based on multiple-choice questions (MCQ).
While KTU had earlier explored the possibility of online-proctored examinations, it failed to realise the ambition in the absence of a foolproof mechanism. The university has now identified government-run C-DIT to develop the necessary software for the MCQ-based online examinations. An amount of ₹3 crore has been earmarked for the proposal.
