 RECOMMENDATIONS

9.1 IITs have established a reputation as institutions of excellence. It is now incumbent upon them to play a larger role by acting as "change agents" for higher technical education in the country. For a start, one REC in each region should be affiliated to an IIT. A close relationship needs to be developed with the next level of technical institutions i.e., Regional Engineering Colleges, (RECs). However, if this synergy is to be meaningful, greater operational freedom needs to be accorded to them. For this, the Central Government needs to relieve the State Government from contributing towards their budgetary support. This would not only relieve the pressure on State Government finances but also permit the relevant portions of the IIT Act to be extended to the RECs.

9.2 Synergy with industry requires its greater involvement in the running of IITs. This would not only make industry more aware of the potential for collaboration but also urge it to avail of it fully. Boards of Governors of IITs should be more representative of industry with alumni, in particular, who now occupy positions of considerable importance in industry playing an important role. A beginning has been made in improving linkages with alumni associations. More needs to be done. Their apprehension of being only fund raisers needs to be dispelled by involving them in all important issues,

9.3 To foster inter-IIT and IIT-Industry interaction, Government has sponsored seven Technology Development Missions, each involving a group of IITs and leading industrial houses, in the core areas of information technology, genetics, etc. This has generated keen participative interest and promoted collaborative effort. This initiative should now be extended by IITs to cover other technological areas of concern.

9.4 Presently, under-graduate students receive only limited industry exposure. As a result, they are unable to relate themselves to real life situations. It is necessary that students spend atleast one full semester with industry as this would better prepare them to accept operational responsibility upon graduation. As this would relieve industry of the burden of imparting additional training it should compensate both the institution and the student in equal proportion, commensurate with prevailing wage levels.

9.5 To develop an on-going relationship with industry. methodologies successfully developed by institutions abroad should be incorporated in IIT synergy programmes, Specifically, the IITs should work towards: (i) an industry liaison programme which would associate industry units on an annual membership basis; (ii) a direct research programme on a cost reimbursement basis; (iii) consortium programme which would be supported by groups of companies having common research interests, and (iv) consultancy on an individual basis involving faculty members directly.

9.6 'Hi-Tech Parks' should be set up in the IITs. This would provide industry units or associations easy and on-going access to IIT laboratory facilities for research and development, which could also be used for other related activities. These Parks may be named after an Industrial House if it funds acquisition of new equipment of a certain minimum value.

9.7 Government subsidy presently amounts to about 75 percent of operating costs of IITs. This dependence should be reduced to not more than 30 percent within the next three years and complete self-sufficiency attained by the end of the decade. In order to do so, IITs should budget that around 35-50 percent of their resources be raised through fees and the balance by income generated through new revenue streams emerging from innovative industry interaction.

Consistent with the emphasis on autonomy, each IIT should eventually evolve its own fee structure taking into account its institutional strength and the recognition which society accords to it. However, Government should ensure that scholarships are provided to the meritorious under-privileged. For the others, it would be incumbent on IITs to work out a merit-cum-means scheme by which students would be in a position to access soft bank loans.

9.8 As IITs move towards financial self-reliance, an increase in the enrolment of foreign students beyond the present limit of 10 percent would be desirable. The fees structure for these students should be in keeping with the pattern prevailing in institutions of similar excellence in other countries, A fee of around US $ 10,000 per student per year would seem reasonable as against the present fee of US $ 4,000 per year. The selection of students should be the exclusive prerogative of the IITs and the term 'foreign students' should include wards of NRIs provided they have not gone through the Indian academic system within the country.

9.9 The prevailing student-teacher ratio is indicative of sub-optimal utilisation of resources. Increasing student intake would provide IITs with additional resources and industry with an urgently required larger pool of first-rate engineers to draw upon. A doubling of the student intake should be possible with marginal inputs in infrastructure and faculty. Modalities for this enhanced student intake should be put in place before 1997-98 scholastic year.

9.10 The research effort in IITs should increasingly focus on areas where worldwide technological advances are most rapid. This would not only enable IITs to maintain their unique position as technological leaders but also enable them to provide industry with a view of new areas to concentrate upon. Patent searches, participation in seminars by both faculty and students, and a greater involvement of IITs in documentation and dissemination of state-of-the-art technological activity would not only serve industry but enable IITs to earn substantial additional income.

9.11 IITs have a vast reserve of research experience. A serious effort needs to be made to disseminate this information to industry through workshops, technology capsules and news letters.

In addition, IITs should work in close association with other R&D organisations in the country, such as, DRDO, RDSO, ICMR, ICAR, etc. to enhance their contribution to technological development at the national level.

9.12 There is urgent need to shift the focus of the research activity in the IITs from generation of new knowledge to applied research. IITs need to concern themselves with areas of immediate application, i.e., process parameters for the chemical industry and manufacturing processes for the engineering industry.

9.13 To evolve a direction of future R&D activity, the Group recommends that a high level body be constituted designated as the "Perspective Technology Group". This Group would comprise: (a) captains of industries; (b) eminent academics from the IIT system, and (c) heads of major R&D groups, drawn both from the private and public sectors. This Group would review, evaluate and determine the thrust for the future research nationally. IIT Delhi could serve as the Group's secretariat in view of its convenient location.

9.14 The existing IITs were set up in association with overseas universities acting in "consortium", with financial support from their respective governments. A new IIT at Guwahati has just come into being and needs support for the development of both infrastructure and faculty in its formative years. As in the past, a "consortium approach" needs to be structured where the existing IITs would pool resources and take on this task as a "consultancy assignment" so that normal institutional constraints do not cause delays and act as a disincentive in the involvement of appropriate faculty.

9.15 The emerging industrial scenario with its emphasis on global competitiveness calls for managers with ability to analyse the situation beyond the confines of technology. It is imperative that a Business School of world standard be available to provide IIT students with an on-campus facility for career development. The Sloan School of Management attached to MIT is an example which could well be emulated.

The Business School would offer a standard two-year MBA programme as well as a post-experience modular programme for students who intend to remain in full employment. In addition, the School would provide Advance Management Programmes for senior managers and captains of industry.

The burden of setting up the Business School, which should include a Convention Centre and residential facilities of an appropriate standard, should be borne by industry as it stands to benefit directly and significantly. IITs should pursue this with industry and alumni as has been done by IIT, Kharagpur,

9.16 The existing four year B.Tech programme does not provide for an internship with industry. The duration of the course should be suitably extended to provide for this.

Internship placement should begin well before the end of the academic course so that students know what would be expected of them by industry. They can thus choose 'electives' accordingly. The onus of practical training should be shared by IITs and industry both in its structure and supervision.

The Masters programme also needs to be restructured and extended to two years with the student spending a semester on a "specific project" in industry, Here again, industry should provide suitable compensation to both the student and the institution.

A joint B.Tech/MBA programme has found wide acceptance overseas. A double degree programme should be structured by extending the B.Tech course by a year. Admission to this course should be through a separate competitive examination.