Greater collaboration between universities and industry has long been in discussion in India. In the recently concluded Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Samagam in Varanasi, it was discussed at length, stressing that to move towards a knowledge-based superpower, making universities multidisciplinary and also a centre of excellence, it is essential to provide space to industries in campus to establish research and development centres, which invariably pave way for start-ups and greater collaborations. Under the NEP, universities would be encouraged to establish their ventures, making education imparted in universities being based majorly on application and practical experience. This process would for sure make the students more employable, as their skills and knowledge would be more relevant to the emerging job prospects and opportunities. Indian industry has long been complaining about the students being bereft of practical aspect of the things, hence rendered unemployable.

Several top companies like Google, Facebook, Bose, Qualcomm and many others have borne out of the university campuses. Moreover, the tech companies that begin in university campuses also leverage years of research and bright talents, who then spur a culture and series of innovations. However, a common complaint in Indian context is that here universities don’t promote such creativity, innovation and inventiveness, while they do excel when it comes to academic rigour. It’s really a pity that in absence of conducive ambience to follow a dream of having a venture of their home, many bright students coming out of IITs and IIMs like institutions end up working for MNCs for plush paying jobs. Otherwise, they could be helped sufficiently to become entrepreneurs and innovators and create jobs and wealth for themselves and the country. But now the scene appears to be changing, especially with the advent of the New Education Policy (NEP) in place, the pace of collaborations is expected to gain momentum.

In recent years, driven by the pragmatic approach of the government at the Centre, several universities have included innovation in the curriculum and entrepreneurship being taught in commerce, management and engineering courses. Now several colleges and universities have their entrepreneurship cells also. To power this nascent trend of entrepreneurship in the country, the Government of India launched the Atal Innovation Centres, which provide managed workspace for the startups to operate. A few top institutions like the Indian Institute of Science, a few IITs and Central Food Technological Research and Institute among others have their dedicated IP licensing centres to make their R&D available for the market.

Moreover, the government has sanctioned establishment of research parks in IITs in Madras, Bombay, Kharagpur, Kanpur, Delhi, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Gandhinagar and IISc Bangalore to augment the research ecosystem in the country to enable the students to pursue their R&D interests in India, through innovative research. Incubation centres (ICs) at educational institutions seek to nurture technology and knowledge based ventures through their start-up phase by providing the necessary support to help entrepreneurs survive in the competitive market and reach a stage where they can scale-up their ventures further. Various schemes such as Uchchatar Avishkar Yojana (UAY), Impacting Research Innovation and Technology (IMPRINT), Impactful Policy Research in Social Science (IMPRESS), Scheme for Trans-Disciplinary Research for India’s Developing Economy (STRIDE), Scheme for promotion of Research and Academic Collaboration (SPARC), National Initiative for Design Innovation (NIDI), Scheme for Transformational and Advanced Research in Sciences (STARS) etc. are also being implemented by the Ministry of Education for promotion of research ecosystem of country’s higher education institutes. The government also implements Global Initiative for Academic Network (GIAN) which seeks to tap the talent pool of scientists and entrepreneurs from abroad, including those of Indian origin to augment the country’s existing academic resources. In this way, leveraging educational institutions for the entrepreneurial efforts can prove to be a win-win situation for both Industry and universities.

Ethos of education in India has always been of ‘Aparoksh Anubhuti’, i.e. that of direct experience. Each philosophy of this land comes along with set of prescribed practices to fetch an individual to the awareness level of unity of all. This was not just for spiritual aspects but even for material growth and achievements through education. “The era of forcing anything on youth without understanding them, has long gone and flexibility in education is the key to turn India into a vibrant knowledge society,” said PM Narendra Modi in inaugural address of a Samagam in Varanasi. With the aim to extract nectar for transforming education by focusing on the various facets of ‘New Eduation Policy 2020’, a three day educational maha kumbh was organized in Varanasi. The aim of the ‘Akhil Bhartiya Shiksha Samagam’ as it had been named, was to come out with a firm resolve to work collectively to transform the country into an equitable and vibrant knowledge society, which India significantly needs at this juncture. In this sense, this event proved to be a huge success, where freewheeling ideas were witnessed.

The concept of learning and educational impartations form an integral part of the rich history of the Indian subcontinent. From the ancient most type of schools in the form of ‘Gurukuls’, to ‘Ashram Vidya’, to Buddhist education centres, madrassas, Universities like Nalanda, Takshashila Vikramshila and to introduction of modern education during the colonial rule, Indian land has witnessed a rich mix of learning starting from spirituality, followed by knowledge, astronomy, science, logical discoveries, skills, various Arts, theology, and finally modern education. The whole historic spectrum showcases how more than the ‘Theory’ aspects, the Indian civilisation has dominantly exhausted their beliefs into the importance of practical and creative learning. NEP 2020 brings back that same culture in the most modern and tech-era essence.

It is rather good fortune for India that ‘Entrepreneurship’ which fuels innovation, multi-level employment opportunities and growth (economic, social, personal), is booming in its landscapes. NEP 2020 is entirely based on the new factors have brought in a sense of trust among those forming the education vertical. These include collaborations of various Indian educational institutions with entities within and outside India, industry interface for research and consultancy, increased Public – Private partnership and investment in the education field, entrepreneurship and skill formation, shifting to digital means and smart learning, greater practical exposure being made available, multi-dimensional pedagogy as a creative art, greater acceptance for foundation and vocational courses, and skill development. Rise of Ed-Tech and Experiential Learning provide good exposure for scholars to expand more on their intellectual finesse.

It’s good to see that a number of seminars are being organized by the concerned educational authorities in universities and other places across the country to give a realistic and relevant shape to NEP by inviting brainstorming ideas. PM Modi himself has attended more than 25 seminars to talk about the implementation of the NEP. Now we can expect to emerge as a big destination for global education and be able to take advantage of the demographic dividend. We must bring in an education system that is well rooted in Indian values, thoughts and sense of service, which we have always cherished and nourished. In this case NEP2020 gives us the direction and path for also decolonizing our education and creating pride in our languages, culture, knowledge and traditions.