Delivering the key note address at a function recently, AICTE Chairman S SMantha said that all abstracts of projects or research work by engineering students will be available online for the common man. “The portal will also help students to network and promote research culture among students,” he said.
Mantha criticised the ‘copy and paste method’ used by students in research and claimed that there was lack of innovation in them. Quoting the example of global manufacturing ITcompany, IBM, where they continue to emphasise on their internal research with as much as 60 per cent of their earnings poured into it, he hoped students realise research should make difference to the way something is manufactured or a concept is understood.
On the administration front, Mantha said that teachers and professors in technical colleges must return to their roots in the industry and update themselves with the current technological advancements.
He said that the AICTE had plans to identify around 100 engineering institutions across the country and provide at least 2,500 to 3,000 sq ft of work space where industries can outsource their research and development department to these campuses. “We are starting this project and trying to see what sources of funding can be identified for it.”