THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The three-day National Research Conference and Kerala Higher Education Expo 2026 concluded in the capital on Wednesday with the government committing to provide more funding in the higher education sector to enable paradigm shifts in curriculum and research methodology.
At the valedictory session of the conference, Higher Education Minister R Bindu highlighted the government’s financial commitment towards fostering a world-class research culture. She said the higher education in the state was passing through a “transformative period” and the government is giving high priority to the sector.
The minister launched ‘ScholarConnect’, a digital platform designed to facilitate structured engagement between the state’s higher education institutions and the global academic diaspora. “ScholarConnect will connect erudite scholars, experts from the diaspora, intellectuals, and academicians from every part of the world,” she said. The initiative aims to harness international expertise to build research capacity, enhance academic quality, and strengthen the international visibility of Kerala’s scholars, marking a new era of institutionalising “brain gain.”
The minister said the state has spent nearly Rs 24 crore on the Chief Minister’s Nava Kerala Post-Doctoral Fellowship (CMNPF) alone. Additionally, an annual funding of Rs 75 lakh has been earmarked for the Kairali Research Awards.”In spite of financial difficulties, the government has prioritised these investments to ensure that our researchers can gain international acclaim,” the minister said.
She noted that resources were being directed towards creating a “socially useful knowledge base” that would aid Kerala’s progress towards a sustainable knowledge economy, specifically targeting improvements in agriculture, health, and environmental balance.
The minister also unveiled the state’s roadmap to transform university laboratories into “micro-innovation units,” shifting from a teaching-centric model to a research-driven ecosystem rooted in social justice.The conference, organised by the Kerala State Higher Education Council (KSHEC) and the Department of Higher Education, served as a platform combining insights of global experts and local scholars.
Delivering the plenary address, M R N Moorthy, former professor at IISc Bengaluru, urged the academic community to continuously question and challenge scientific dogmas. D Narayana, former director of GIFT, emphasised the necessity of achieving a “critical mass” in academia with a balanced hierarchy of PhD scholars, post-docs, and junior and senior faculty working in synergy.
Parallel to the academic sessions, the Kerala Higher Education Expo showcased over 50 institutions. From VSSC’s space technology displays to Cusat’s award-winning stall on neurodegeneration and Kufo’s focus on the Blue Economy, the expo successfully demystified high-level research for the public and aspiring students.