Anna varsity to get research park and centres for AI, robotics, IoT

Besides 11 new units in the university, govt plans to set up 10 arts colleges; 11 govt engg institutes to get foreign-language centres to help students pursue higher studies abroad
Dr K Ponmudy, Higher Education minister, Tamil Nadu. (Photo | Ashwin Prasath, EPS)
Dr K Ponmudy, Higher Education minister, Tamil Nadu. (Photo | Ashwin Prasath, EPS)

CHENNAI: Higher Education Minister K Ponmudy on Monday announced that 11 new centres — including ones for artificial intelligence, data science, robotics, and Internet of Things (IoT) — will be set up at Anna University with support from TIDCO and SIPCOT, and 10 new arts colleges will be established in Tamil Nadu. He said this in the Assembly during the debate on grants for his department.

Besides, a research park will be set up at Anna University at a cost of Rs 50 crore, and a marine sports and tourism centre will be established at Alagappa University’s Thondi campus at a cost of Rs 50 lakh, the minister said. The government also plans to establish sports facilities at 10 government engineering colleges at a cost of Rs 80 crore.

To help government engineering college students pursue higher studies abroad, a centre for foreign languages will be established at 11 government engineering colleges at a cost of Rs 11 crore. Besides, government polytechnic institutes will offer new courses such as apparel design, agriculture engineering, and automobile engineering. At the government polytechnic institute in Madurai, a new Protosem course will be introduced at a cost of Rs 2 crore, Ponmudy announced.

To provide training on world skills in electrical installation, industrial controls and drivers, supervisory control, data acquisition, and digital manufacturing, smart manufacturing technology centres will be established at six government polytechnic institutes at a cost of Rs 10 crore. The Tamil Nadu Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Corporation will be expanded at a cost of Rs 5 crore.

New hostels will be established at Alagappa University, Bharathiar University, Anna University’s Guindy campus and Marina campus in the University of Madras, and Bharathidasan University’s Khajamalai campus at a cost of Rs 131.06 crore. Besides, buildings will be constructed at 16 government arts and science colleges at a cost of Rs 199.36 crore, the minister said. This apart, infrastructure such as classrooms and labs will be created at 26 government polytechnic institutes and 55 government arts and science colleges at a cost of Rs 200 crore. The department has also allocated Rs 100 crore to improve labs and libraries at polytechnic institutes and colleges.

Anticipating that more women will join government colleges due to the government’s promise of monetary aid, the department plans to establish 10 arts and science colleges in Tiruchy, Viluppuram, Pudukkottai, and Erode, among other districts.

To enhance the employability of BE, BTech and MCA students, industry skill-based courses will be introduced at Anna University with the help of IBM with financial support of `6 crore from the TN Skill Development Corporation. A degree course in engineering under the Work Integrated Learning model will be introduced, and a new admission process will be introduced in Anna University and its colleges to enable polytechnic students to get lateral entry to engineering courses.

To enable students in government colleges to pursue PhD research programmes, such courses will be started at 10 government arts and science colleges, Ponmudy said.

Rs 130 crore for new hostels
Hostels will be set up at Alagappa University, Bharathiar University, Anna University’s Guindy campus and Marina campus in the University of Madras, and Bharathidasan University’s Khajamalai campus at a cost of Rs 131.06 crore, Ponmudy said

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