Ahmedabad: Gujarat Technological University (GTU) will finally have its own state-of-the-art research laboratories, library and infrastructure facilities that will enable research and innovative projects to be carried out in all major areas of technology. The major 7 themes identified are: 1) Cyber Security; 2) Wireless and Mobile Computing; 3) Environment, Energy and Green Technologies including Design Engineering; 4) VLSI and embedded systems; 5) Infrastructure, Transportation, Water Engineering and Waste Management Systems; 6) Automation, Mechatronics; and 7) Pharmacy.
Having created the first draft of regulations for GTU which will be discussed with its Board of Governors, for further vetting and final version, all the processes will be well defined and transparent. Hence GTU can start its journey towards serious research, internationalization and industry outreach, as guidelines and procedures are well defined to carry out any procurement, recruitment and administrative procedures for approvals.
It is envisaged that the entire cross section of current and future trends in engineering will be addressed by students of PhD, PG and even UG, at GTU’s research facility. Expert Committees have been formed and Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) have been prepared under the chairmanship of Dr. R.K. Gajjar, I/c Vice Chancellor of GTU. Whereas the DPRs define all the requirements for world class facilities, the entire project will be implemented in a phased mode, so that new priorities and opportunities can be accommodated smoothly.
Recruitment of well qualified and experienced faculty for the posts of Professors, Associate Professors and Assistant Professors will be undertaken shortly, as the posts have already been advertised. Simultaneously, approvals for construction of buildings worth Rs. 100 crores have been given by the government, to accommodate the laboratories, class rooms, library, computing centers and hostels. Detailed plans and layouts are ready and construction will be started by R & B department. On the third front, as soon as senior faculty are in place, specifications and processes for procurement of equipment, software, books and journals will be started for all these 7 centres.
GTU already has a thriving ecosystem of innovation at undergraduate level. But beyond the ideation level, students do not have anywhere to turn to for serious projects. Similarly, the PhD program has been running only for part time students who at best can work at post graduate laboratory facilities. The new facilities will enable GTU researches of any age to take up research and be able to publish and patent at world standards. With Smart Cities and Smart Villages taking shape just round the corner, real life problems and industry products are not limited to a single discipline. It needs multi-level and interdisciplinary teams working in common facilities to come up with solutions for real life problems which will be ever evolving in nature, given the technology advancements. Hence these centres will deliberately not be catering to any single degree or course. The idea is to have experts and researchers, working seamlessly on facilities which are not confined to boundaries of specific disciplines. Thus actual problems and research can be undertaken, involving interdisciplinary teams of students working in their own domains, but finding real life solutions, complete in all aspects. This initiative is thus unique, for enabling common usage of a facility of such a scale and capacity. The biggest advantage in envisaging this type of environment is that it will automatically attract industry participation which will be considerably enhanced, through sponsored projects, customized courses for specific sectors, industry defined electives, hands on projects and innovative solutions using cutting edge technology, once these facilities become fully functional.
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