Research activities to be thrust area for JU in terms of utilising RUSA grant

Kolkata: Jadavpur University (JU) has identified research activities on the part of both teachers and students as its thrust area when it comes to utilisation of the grant it has received under the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA). The first installment of Rs 41.66 crore of the total Rs 100 crore Central grant had reached the varsity in the month of November.

"We have identified five areas with a thrust on research. The details are still being discussed and it will be finalised soon," JU pro vice-chancellor Pradip Ghosh said.

A senior official of the university said that the RUSA grant will allow both teachers and students the liberty to go for national and international conferences and at the same time, organise programmes in the varsity by involving foreign visiting faculties.

Travelling allowance and certain other costs has often been an impediment for the university in academic and research exchanges. "This problem will be sorted out to a great extent with this fund," the official said.

The university has already formed a Project Monitoring Committee (PMC) under RUSA, which will examine projects on the basis of tangible outcome and give the nod for going ahead with the project. "The infrastructural cost for it can be borne from the RUSA fund," the official added.

It may be mentioned that at present JU has around 100 doctoral fellows and 50 post-doctoral fellows engaged in studies and research at the institute.

JU is the first institute of higher education in the state to have received the grant, based on its NAAC accreditation for five years, beginning in September 2014. RUSA is a scheme that provides financial aid to selected state universities to upgrade research facilities.