BHUBANESWAR:Utkal University plans to set up six new research centres to promote cutting-edge research in various fields. Vice-Chancellor SM Patnaik, who led a team to New Delhi recently to deliver a presentation before Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) Project Approval Board (PAB) in this regard, said the centres have been planned as part of University’s plan to make Utkal a Global University.
The university will set up two research centres; ‘Centre for High Energy Particle Physics Research’ and ‘Centre for Material Research’ which will help in enhancing scope for advanced studies in the field of science in the university.
A ‘North-East India Study Centre’ and a ‘Centre for Public Policy in Governance’ will also be set up in the university campus which will be multi-disciplinary in nature, he said.Departments such as Botany, Zoology, Anthropology and Public Administration will be involved in carrying out research works of ‘North-East India Study Centre’, while, the ‘Centre for Public Policy in Governance’ will be set up involving Political Science, Economic, Sociology, Bio-technology, Psychology, Anthropology and Women studies departments where students will study to get a critic and academic understanding of their public policies and help policy makers plan better.
A ‘Centre for study on informal migrant labourers’ will be set up in the university which also plans to promote research work in the field of rare and ancient manuscript.On its new campus at Chandikhol, the varsity has decided to set up a ‘Global Centre for Rural Engagement/Studies’ for a comparative understanding of rural communities all over the world and provide required impetus for village studies.
“A study on how India is handling the problems in its villages and understand how countries such as South Africa, Srilanka, Java and Indonesia are dealing with their rural problems and issues,” said Patnaik.
Recently, Utkal University competed with nine other universities from different states to get funds under RUSA-II project. The university had also received aid from the World Bank to set up an international office here.
The Vice-Chancellor said the university plans to take up faculty enrichment programmes through international visit and international scholar exchange programmes. “All these programmes will help us in producing high quality students who will be our brand ambassadors and carry the flag of our university,” he added.