Dharmendra Pradhan chairs 13th NITSER Council meeting, calls for industry-led curriculum reforms

Union Minister for Education Dharmendra Pradhan on Tuesday chaired the 13th Meeting of the Council of the National Institutes of Technology, Science Education and Research (NITSER) at Bharat Mandapam here, stressing the need to align academic curricula and research with national priorities and emerging industry requirements.

Addressing the meeting, the Minister said that curricula across NITs, IISERs and IIESTs must reflect the needs of the 21st century and support India’s vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Viksit Bharat by 2047. He underlined that PhD programmes should be industry-centric and proposed the creation of industry-led curriculum committees to design programmes aligned with new and emerging job roles.

Shri Pradhan reviewed presentations focused on improving academic and research standards, enhancing governance efficiency, and strengthening innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystems in premier technical institutions. He also emphasised that NITs and IIESTs should come under the national accreditation framework, describing accreditation as a key quality assurance mechanism.

During the meeting, the Council discussed major reforms, including alignment of curricula and research with critical technologies such as Industry 4.0, artificial intelligence, data analytics, cybersecurity, quantum technologies, semiconductors, green hydrogen and advanced manufacturing. Proposals also included launching specialised PG and M.Tech programmes tailored to industry needs and introducing 360-degree PhD reforms, including industry-funded and product-based doctoral programmes.

On innovation, the Council underscored the importance of transforming institutions into hubs of job creation, directing that NITs without incubation centres set them up immediately and that at least 10 NITs initiate the establishment of research parks. It was also proposed to organise a startup pitching conclave in July 2026 in collaboration with investors and industry stakeholders.

All NITs and IISERs agreed to complete external peer reviews within one year and actively participate in the NAAC accreditation process. The meeting also stressed promoting inclusivity through the use of Bharatiya Bhashas and leveraging artificial intelligence for multilingual learning.

The meeting was attended by Members of Parliament, senior government officials, heads of national institutions, and representatives from academia, industry and innovation bodies.