Engg colleges plan to make most of TEQIP grants

With a Rs 12.5 crore grant under Technical Education Quality Improvement Programme (TEQIP), two engineering colleges in Mysore and one in Hassan are all set to introduce new programmes in higher education.

Under the TEQIP-II programme, 14 engineering colleges in Karnataka have received a grant of Rs 228 crore, of which Sri Jayachamarajendra College of Engineering (SJCE), National Institute of Engineering (NIE) and Malnad College of Engineering (MCE) have also been selected.

Under this programme, Karnataka has signed an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with 14 engineering colleges of the state.

Speaking to Deccan Herald, MCE principal M V Sathyanarayana said the college can now take full time research scholars due to the grants under TEQIP.

MCE plans

He said the college is planning to provide MTech programmes in automation and robotics, automobile engineering and instrumentation technology. He said the grants would help improve the development of human resources in the college.

Sathyanarayana said the proposals for MTech programmes in advanced mechanical engineering and advanced control techniques is also being planned.

NIE Principal G L Shekar mentioned that the college aims to increase postgraduate student strength from existing 66 to 193 per year. He said that PhD registrations would be increased to 95 over the next three years and intake for MSc (Engg) would be almost quadrupuled to 27.

Research and development would be given funds to the tune of Rs 2 crore from the existing Rs 60.35 lakh, he added.

He said that NIE would offer three new MTech programmes in computer network engineering, industrial robotics and automation and structural engineering.

SJCE principal B G Sangameshwara said the grants would be used for providing training to teachers, introducing new postgraduate programmes, providing scholarships to students and creation of research labs.

He said the college is planning to set-up research programmes in the area of medical electronics and natural disaster mitigation, which are the major thrust areas.

New research labs

Continuing, he said that new research labs in ‘engineering innovations lab’ and ‘safety aspects of driver in transportation systems’ are also being planned.

Sangameshwara said the college is planning to begin postgraduate programmes for all the undergraduate courses.

He said that postgraduation in biotechnology would commence from next academic year and plans to provide opportunities for M Tech in automotive electronics is also planned in the coming years.

Disclosing that SJCE was the highest ranked in the TEQIP-II programme, Sangameshwara said that the college is making proposals to set-up centre of excellence.