Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) may be dreaming of entering the big league but it falls short when it comes to research, external funding, consultancy and filing of patents.
Data from the university’s annual quality assurance report submitted to the National Assessment and Accreditation Council in 2012-13 (the varsity is yet to file the latest report) revealed that the total budget for research fell from 17.29 per cent in 2011-12 to 13.32 per cent of the total budget. The external research funding also slipped from Rs. 19.93 crore to Rs. 13.03 crore.
Owing to the sluggish pace of research projects, the report pointed out that the varsity could not earn even a single patent in 2012-13, though it had applied for four. Despite tall claims, the institution could not attract any major funding from the industry. Senior faculty members told The Hindu that revenue from consultancy projects was also minimal compared to reputed universities in the country.
A look at the annual report (2013-14) of the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, found that the premier institute received Rs. 54 crore for new projects from the industry while its faculty secured sanctions for projects worth Rs. 151 crore in the year. Cusat has an industry-incubation centre but its work remains at a slow pace. The quality assurance report for 2012-13 also admitted that no industry linkage was created by the university against 34 in initiatives in the previous year.
