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Cover Story

Prof. V. Ramgopal Rao
Vice Chancellor, BITS-Pilani

n engineering postgrad
of Kakatiya University,
AWarangal and IIT-Bombay
with a doctorate in nanoelectronics
from Bundeswehr University,
Munich (Germany), Prof. V.
Ramgopal Rao is Group Vice
Chancellor of the Birla Institute of
Technology & Science (BITS), Pilani,
which has five campuses sited in
Pilani, Hyderabad, Goa, Dubai and
Mumbai.

Major institutional goals for India @2047.
At BITS Pilani, we have set a clear Prof. Ramgopal Rao
goal — to be numbered among the
top 100 institutions globally in
research impact and innovation- in some areas but has potential for hand-in-hand with project imple-
led education by 2047. Our vision more strategic alignment. The Prac- mentation. That’s our focus.
includes tripling our Ph D output, tice School program at BITS Pilani,
integrating experiential learning into which includes over 500 corporate Prescription for transforming India into a
every academic programme, and partners, is a model of academy-in- $30 trillion GDP economy by 2047.
designing campuses that function as dustry integration. BITS is a pioneer India’s growth to a $30 trillion
innovation districts. We are invest- in Work-Integrated-Learning Pro- economy will depend on how quickly
ing in people, infrastructure and grammes with over 40,000 work- we transition from a low-cost service
partnerships to ensure that every ing professionals from hundreds of to a high-value knowledge economy.
student learns by doing, every faculty industry sectors registered for BITS This transformation needs sub-
member engages in meaningful re- Pilani degrees or certificates. We are stantial investment in education,
search, and every campus becomes a now extending this to research col- research, and skilling. We need
hub for problem-solving with global laboration, startup incubation, and thousands of job creators not only
relevance and local impact. Expan- faculty consulting. job seekers. Strengthening Tier-2 and
sion, Excellence and Equity will drive Our alumni, many of whom lead Tier-3 HEIs, integrating vocational
our future trajectory. large companies and unicorns, are and formal education, and focus on
also engaging more actively with our sunrise sectors such as AI, climate
Progress evaluation. Progress is quite campuses. However, Indian industry tech, and electronics manufacturing
satisfying. BITS Pilani incubated still spends very little on R&D. For is critical. We must also encourage
startups have touched a combined universities to become true innova- risk-taking in research and innova-
valuation of US $1 billion (Rs.8,606 tion partners, we need policy nudges tion by reducing regulatory burdens
crore). Over the past year, we have that incentivise India Inc to co-invest and autonomy for institutions that
launched an innovation and startups in knowledge creation. demonstrate outcomes.
policy, expanded faculty recruitment India@100 is a collective project.
significantly, built strong alumni en- Institutional response to R&D and in- It cannot be achieved by government
gagement models, and initiated one of novation. We are rebuilding our R&D or industry alone. HEIs must play
the most comprehensive curriculum ecosystem bottom-up. BITS Pilani a leading role, not just in produc-
overhauls countrywide. We are also has launched a Ph D DRIVE initia- ing skilled graduates, but in shaping
ramping up Ph D fellowships through tive to attract endowment-supported narratives, building institutional
our endowment and are forging new doctoral scholars. Our campuses are excellence and solving real-world
industry-linked research programs. establishing collaborative research problems. Universities must measure
And this is only the beginning. centres, attracting young faculty with success not just in terms of place-
In a country experiencing rapid start-up grants, and investing in labs ments and rankings, but in terms
transformation, we believe universi- focused on national missions — from of how many lives we have touched,
ties must move from incremental semiconductors to sustainability. how many problems we have solved,
change to structural reform. Our We are also promoting a culture of and how many innovations have
systems are evolving and the direc- research-linked entrepreneurship. emerged from our labs. If we shift
tion is right, but there is still a long Our incubators now support startups the focus from quantity to quality,
way to go. emerging directly from faculty and and from form to substance, India
Ph D research, with some already can emerge not just as an economic
Academia-industry and business linkag- securing global patents and funding. power, but as a global leader in ideas
es. Our connect with industry is deep Creating new knowledge must go and innovation.

48 EDUCATIONWORLD JULY 2025