The University of Kerala has set its sights on bridging the industry-academia divide by deciding to appoint adjunct faculty comprising industrialists and other experts in various disciplines. The endeavour is aimed at nurturing industrial collaboration for research pursuits.
An academic-industrial meet will also be organised this year to identify various research areas under the university’s study departments with the support of industrial and academic experts.
The announcements find place in the university’s budget for the 2021-22 fiscal that was presented by Syndicate finance committee convener K.H. Babujan at a meeting of the Senate on Wednesday. The ₹1.67-crore deficit budget estimated a revenue of ₹705.43 crore and an expenditure of ₹707.1 crore.
‘Navodhana Veedhi’
The university’s plan of developing the Karyavattom campus as a model one, replete with adequate infrastructural facilities including hostels and theatre classrooms in each of the study departments, found prime importance with an allocation of ₹2 crore.
As part of the project, a ‘Navodhana Veedhi’ (renaissance road) will be developed as tribute to the social reformation movement in the State and its leaders.
The road from the campus entrance to the Centre for Performing and Visual Arts and that from the campus post office to the researchers’ hostel will be developed to a width of 15 metres and include provisions for footpaths of either side.
The budget has also earmarked ₹25 lakh to boost the university’s efforts to go paper-less in various spheres of administration.
While the agenda of syndicate and senate meetings will be made online, syndicate members, statutory officers and joint registrars will be provided tablets to migrate to the existing file system to a purely internet-based one.
A biosafety laboratory will come up under the Department of biochemistry to boost research on communicable diseases. While the project is estimated to cost ₹2.5 crore, the budget has earmarked ₹40 lakh.
The university’s research section will be upgraded as a research directorate at a cost of ₹30 lakh to streamline research activities including submission of theses.
While the government has sanctioned a grant of ₹26 crore in the State budget, the allocation will be utilised for various endeavours including establishing a neurobiology laboratory, model biodiversity park, translational research facility in plant cell culture technology, modular thin film fab laboratory and artificial intelligence hub.
Upgraded
The Central Laboratory for Instrumentation and Facilitation (CLIF) will also be upgraded to a national testing centre.
