BHUBANESWAR: As many as 11 research centres of excellence (CoEs) of five public universities have been given sustainability grants to further their work and provide research internships to UG and PG students.
At present, the research CoEs, operational at Sambalpur, Berhampur, Fakir Mohan, Utkal and Rama Devi Women’s universities conduct Odisha-centric applied research in areas of natural sciences, engineering, humanities and social sciences.
The Odisha State Higher Education Council and a panel of experts from various fields recently evaluated the research work of the CoEs and provided them a sustainability grant of around Rs 61.5 lakh under Mukhyamantri Research and Innovation Fellowship programme for both 2023-24 and 2024-25 academic sessions.
The CoEs were set up under World Bank-supported Odisha Higher Education Programme for Excellence and Equity (OHEPEE) and phase two of Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA).
Officials said the council was appreciative of three research projects and provided the CoEs the highest grants of Rs 35 lakh each. These CoEs include that of Sambalpur university which is conducting research on ‘natural products and therapeutics’.
The two other CoEs are of Berhampur university and they are developing sensors for supplying safe drinking water in Berhampur and detection of pesticide residues in Rushikulya river basin besides, evaluation of therapeutic outcome of plant-based extracts against pathogens.
On the other hand, the experts’ panel expressed dissatisfaction with the progress of research projects undertaken by the CoEs of the Utkal university. Officials informed that the university’s CoEs were found not working on their research projects as per the target fixed during the inception of the centres and leaving funds sanctioned for the purpose unutilised.
The majority of six CoEs of the total 11 are under Utkal university. The state government is already providing research grants to research fellows of CoEs and the sustainability grants will help in maintenance of the instruments/equipment in the centres, introducing research internship for students, publication of critical texts, engagement of research associates, among other things, officials added.