The Higher Education Review

In the 21st century, universities are not merely centers for knowledge but are viewed as being hubs of economic development, work force development, innovation, commercialization and globalization. Manipal University has embraced this change by adopting the principle of thinking globally and acting locally in a proactive manner.

The university which is located in the city of Manipal, Karnataka is working together with various industries, to acquire a greater understanding of the challenges and opportunities of modern science and technology. "The ambition is to create an ecosystem which is built around patents and advanced applied research," says Dr K Ramnarayan, Vice Chancellor.

Creating More Opportunities for Research

Research has always been an area of paramount importance for Manipal University. The importance increased manifold after obtaining the deemed university status in 1993 and thus, there has been a

dramatic rise in the publications, doctoral degree awards and grants by funding agencies. Since Research and innovation are given prime importance at Manipal University, institutes such as the Manipal Life Science Centre, Manipal College
of Pharmacy and Innovation Centre at Manipal Institute of Technology are considered as the main research hubs. The Manipal Centre for Virus Research is a one of a kind research center which is also a leading center of research in the country.

In order to increase research activities, the University has introduced scholarships for both the students on the university and those who are not. In the various Institutes at MU, the thrust is on promoting idea generation, concept development, research, community development, rural linkages and student exchange programs. Such Research programs have many partners from the academia, industry, NGOs and government organizations.

The faculty members at the University who take up research activities are more than equipped with the knowledge that can guide the students to become the best professionals in the nation and around the globe. "We believe that the India of the 21st century will be built in the classrooms of our institutions of learning and they will remake both India and the world. This concept can be believed as our

teachers have used our classrooms to produce some of the finest professionals such as Satya Nadella - CEO of Microsoft, Rajeev Suri - CEO of Nokia and others," says Dr. Ramnarayan.

Impressing the Industry

"We actively work with the private industrial sector, fostering and encouraging partnerships with industry as well as encouraging international collaboration," says Prasanna R.Kailaje, Director, Alumni Relations and Industry Liaison and Placement. The industry has been impressed with the students and the research activities conducted and thus more than 90 percent of its students are placed with companies such as ABB, CISCO, Citrix R&D, Daimler, Deloitte Consulting, EMC Corp, Goldman Sachs, Grail Research, Hero Moto Corp, Hewlett Packard, IBM, InMobi, Infosys Ingersoll Rand, Juniper Networks, MuSigma, Oracle, Philips, SAP, TCS, Wipro and many others.

Today, Manipal University, through its campuses in India, Malaysia, Nepal and Dubai, enrolls over 28,000 students in over 300 courses in the fields of health science, engineering, management, communication and humanities. Ranked at 85th among the top 100 Universities, the University hopes to become the best in the world and constantly stimulate both professional and personal growth of its students.