Prof K.S Chandrasekar
It is heartening to note that the demand for higher education is constantly rising, likely to be 160 million by 2025, the state support in terms of funding per student as unit, is declining. It has already become a US $3.2 trillion enterprise in itself. Worldwide 84 million students attend 20,000 colleges and universities. The entire developing world has only 15 per cent of the share. India and China will be the two biggest countries seeking higher education. Demand is growing at the rate of 20 per cent per annum in India. There is an increase in the role of household, private and corporate sector in higher education. There is a surge in online and for-profit private higher education.
India has made significant scientific and technological advancements globally, ranking 4th. The country has built satellites and launched probes to the Moon and Mars, established nuclear power stations, revolutionized railway computerization applications and developed the field of oceanography to ensure optimal utilization of resources and maintaining marine life. India’s top journal as of June 2023 is Higher Education for the Future. The journal covers aspects of social sciences and education from 2019 to 2022 and has a h-index score 9.The United States, China, and India each published about 50% of their articles as OA and 50% as closed.
In UK Universities, there is a creation of start-ups, volunteering and community groups, research collaboration and training with employers, the provision of flexible apprenticeships, remote working spaces and a strong focus on sustainability. Falmouth University’s flagship programme for economic regeneration in Cornwall,?Launchpad, uses their research and innovation as well as partnerships with industry to create new high-growth companies that are based in the county. Since it was established in 2016, the project has created 73 new businesses, 189 jobs, 59 new to market products, and helped to generate £22.5 million Gross Value Added (GVA) to the local economy. Coventry University has created research centers which will ensure continuity in STEM research. Experts from Centre for Mobility and Transport, Coventry University are working on a £7 million government-backed project which will establish how new advances in technology can improve journeys, reduce traffic congestion and provide in-vehicle entertainment and safety services through better connectivity.
China has transformed its research economy over the last 40 years, with its reported spending on research growing 400-fold. Its remarkable level of investment in research now exceeds that of the E.U. and is swiftly approaching parity with the U.S. China now outpaces other major economies in terms of its publication of academic research articles and reviews in journals indexed in the Web of Science, including both the U.S. and the E.U. China now publishes a greater share of the world’s papers in engineering and technology than any other country/region and its activity in life sciences rivals that of the U.S. The shift in research quality is reflected in the rising number of the world’s most Highly Cited Researchers based in China. This has surged from 312 in 2018 to 579 in 2022, doubling China’s presence among the world’s influential research elite. Over the same time span, the U.S. saw a decline in these numbers.
China’s most highly cited research contributions are strongly represented in the disciplines of chemistry, engineering and materials science. Many Highly Cited Researchers are based at institutions with global reputations: the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tsinghua University and the University of Hong Kong. China is home to 14 institutions hosting 20 or more of the world’s most Highly Cited Researchers. Research collaboration is particularly focused in technology areas, where China commands a substantial share of global output. It co-authors more than one-quarter of U.S. papers in topics such as automation control, imaging, ceramics Nano science and telecommunications. China’s leading Research Fronts center around green technologies, such as solar cells and fuel cells while also contributing the most core papers to Research Fronts relating to microwave absorption and electromagnetic radiation.
Tsinghua University in China Jointly establishing “industry-university research collaboration offices” with key regions. The goal of these offices is to better utilize Tsinghua and its partner cities’ advantageous resources, to reinforce their technological collaboration, and to accelerate the partner cities innovation and transition development. Some of the areas they focus on are Alliance for international science and technology collaborations, Joint research centers (Toyota Motor Corp., Siemens, Boeing Company, Microsoft and Samsung), Joint research projects, Center of Knowledge Interchange with overseas enterprises, Commissioned R&D, Technology-transfer projects and 149 key research institutes and 13 key state laboratories.The faculty in the humanities departments received 735 projects with a total funding of 200 million RMB, including 13 national social sciences key projects and 3 key projects of Philosophy and Social Sciences Research supported by the Ministry of Education.
The Times Higher Education World University Rankings for 2024 encompass a total of 1,904 universities from 108 countries and regions. With an impressive representation of 91 institutions, India secures its position as the fourth most-represented nation, signaling a significant stride in global academia.
As per Nature reports, The United States, China, and India each published about 50% of their articles as OA and 50% as closed. In contrast, the UK, Germany, and Italy published around 80% of their articles as OA and 20% as closed. Interestingly, India published more Gold OA articles in 2023 than the UK, Germany, and Italy. India’s journey in research publication is commendable, having secured 3rd place globally in 2023.However, when considering overall OA publishing, India does not rank among the top 5 countries. In 2023, India was ranked 6th in OA publishing.
Elsevier in their report quoted that new technologies are expected to transform the researcher workflow over the coming 10 years, behaviors and skillsets will change as a new generation of researchers arrives on the scene and collaboration will drive research forward. India ranks third in the list for international collaboration and that needs to be increased. It can leverage the G20 and BRICS for effective collaborations.
University research & skill sets are the foundation of knowledge. It is the driver of innovation and critical to the social, cultural and economic fabric of our society and creating Entrepreneurial culture. Research is the tool that supports evidence-based decisions-decisions that inform policy, impact organizations, and influence the lives of citizens locally and globally.
Research also has the power to bring diverse groups of people together behind a common, focused goal. It develops understanding-socially, culturally and physically-of the world. It empowers individuals and groups, and advances our understanding of cultures and social relations. Hence we need Collaborative research studies, cross discipline initiatives, ongoing industry academic dialogues, CSR initiatives and community outreach programs and finally synergistic activities for learning.Indian universities can lead the way in the process. In fact there was a proposal to start Multi-disciplinary Research and Education Universities across the country which later on moved to be Cluster based universities. I strongly feel that there must be research culture and focus among the faculty and researchers which could pave way for India to thrust for glory and generate revenues and be a front runner in intellectual property rights. This will only enable the country to churn out the best minds who could contribute not only to India but also the World.
(The author is Vice Chancellor, Cluster University of Jammu)