Hyderabad, April 17 (FN Agency) As part of the 3-day National Conference of Vice Chancellors of AIU hosted by ICFAI University, Day 2 began with a Technical Session on Nurturing Research and Innovation Ecosystems chaired by Prof. Neelima Gupta, VC, Dr. Harisingh Gour Vishwavidyalaya, Sagar., here on Tuesday. The session featured speakers including Dr. B. J. Rao, VC, University of Hyderabad; Prof. Raj Singh, VC, Jain University; Mr. Rahul Kulshreshtha, Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the Government of India; and Dr. Shubhra Dutta from elsewhere. The speakers observed that the NEP introduction has led to intensified research innovation and discussed the academic and innovation loops. Dr. B. J. Rao gave an overview of teaching purposes that include focusing on the students who are backbenchers, nurturing them, and helping them create innovations through knowledge.
Another interesting technical session on digital transformation in higher education was held, chaired by Prof. B.S. Murty, Director of IIT, Hyderabad. The session featured speakers including Prof. Jagadish K. Patnaik, VC, Nagaland University, and Dr. Basheerhamad Shadrach, Director of the Commonwealth Media Communication Centre (CEMCA), India. Mr. Raghav Gupta, Managing Director, Coursera (India and APAC). Prof. BS Murthy stated how COVID accelerated digital transformation and gave a brief on NPTEL. Dr. Basheerhamad Shadrach talked about the upcoming challenges in India and opportunities provided by digital transformation in India, as well as how digital skills will help India in the future with digital transformation. The 3rd Technical Session on Globalisation and International Higher Education was conducted post-lunch and chaired by Prof. S.P. Singh, VC, Assam Royal University.
Eminent speakers, including Dr. Monica Kennedy, Ms. Allison Barrett MBE, Anil P. Agarwal, and Dr. Pankaj Mittal, spoke elaborately and gave their views. Ms. Alison from the British Council has discussed India’s diversity and culture, digital transformation in the UK, and India’s roadmap, which led to the internationalisation of higher education and helped in deepening research collaboration, cooperation, diversity widening, and access. The speakers have also discussed careers and employment opportunities and their impact on society, culture, and politics. AIU President G. D. Sharma launched the INHE network during the session. The attendees, mostly vice chancellors of various universities across India, attended all the sessions with keen interest.