Notification by UGC

The University Grants Commission (UGC) on Wednesday notified the regulations for foreign universities to set up and operate their campuses in India.

The Regulations aim to facilitate the entry of Foreign Higher Educational Institutions (FHEIs) into India, in line with the recommendations of the National Education Policy 2020, and to provide an international dimension to higher education in India.

These Regulations outline the conditions and requirements for Foreign Higher Educational Institutions to set up their campuses in India. These Regulations aim to ensure that the education imparted in the campus is at par with that of the main campus in the country of origin and that its operations comply with the applicable laws and Regulations.

Foreign Higher Educational Institutions can offer study programmes leading to the award of certificates, diplomas, degrees, research and other programmes at the undergraduate, postgraduate, doctoral and post-doctoral levels

Eligibility criteria :

The Foreign Higher Educational Institution intending to establish campuses in India shall fulfil any of the following criteria at the time of application, that-

(a) it should have secured a position within the top five hundred in the overall category of global rankings at the time of application, as decided by the Commission from time to time; or
(b) it should have secured a position within the top five hundred in the subject-wise category of global rankings at the time of application or should possess outstanding expertise in a particular area, as decided by the Commission from time to time.

In the case of two or more than two Foreign Higher Educational Institutions intending to collaborate to establish campuses in India, each Foreign Higher Educational Institution should meet the eligibility criteria

Procedure for approval

(1) In case the Foreign Higher Educational Institution intends to set up more than one campus, it shall make a separate application to the Commission under the procedure laid down in these regulations.

(2) Upon fulfilment of the eligibility criteria, the Foreign Higher Educational Institution shall apply online to the Commission along with the non-refundable processing fee, as decided by the Commission from time to time.

(3) The Foreign Higher Educational Institution shall upload the following documents along with the application on the University Grants Commission portal, namely:-

(a) permission by the Governing Body or Board, by whatever name called, for establishing campuses in India;

(b) information on the proposed location, infrastructural facilities, fee structure, academic programmes, courses, curricula, availability of faculty and financial resources for setting up and operations of campuses in India, and any other details that may be sought;

(c) an undertaking to the effect that-

i. the quality of education imparted by it in its Indian campus is similar to that of the main campus in the country of origin; and

ii. the qualifications awarded to the students in the Indian campus shall enjoy the same recognition and status as if they were conducted in its home jurisdiction, that is, they shall be recognized in the country of origin of the Foreign Higher Educational Institution and shall be equivalent to the corresponding qualifications awarded by the Foreign Higher Educational Institution in the main campus located in the country of origin.

(d) the latest Accreditation or Quality Assurance report from a recognized Body; and

(e) any other document as specified in the application portal.

(4)The Commission shall constitute a Standing Committee to examine matters related to the setting up and operation of campuses of Foreign Higher Educational Institutions in India.

(5) The Standing Committee shall assess each application on merit, including the credibility of the educational institutions, the programmes to be offered, their potential to strengthen educational opportunities in India, and the proposed academic infrastructure, and make recommendations thereof.

(6) In case the applicant is a Foreign Higher Educational Institution possessing outstanding expertise in a particular area, the Standing Committee shall consider its strengths, outstanding contribution, research capacities, institutional history, institutional prestige and influence, and professional recognition within the areas, among others.

(7) The recommendations of the Standing Committee shall be placed before the Commission within a period of sixty days from the date of receipt of the application, complete in all respects.

(8) Based on the recommendations of the Standing Committee, the Commission may within a period of sixty days, initially grant in-principle approval and issue a Letter of Intent to the Foreign Higher Educational Institution to set up campuses in India within two years from the date of approval.

(9) The Commission may reserve the right to give an extension, if required, on a case-to- case basis.

(10) The applicant Foreign Higher Educational Institution shall convey its readiness for the commencement of its academic operations to the Commission and the Standing Committee shall examine the readiness of the campus and give its recommendations.

(11) The Commission shall consider the recommendations of the Standing Committee and issue approval to the Foreign Higher Educational Institution, within a period of sixty days, for commencing the operation of a campus in India with or without conditions.

Application Portal to set up Campuses in India by Foreign Higher Educational Institutes (FHEIs) is live now.

Registration link for Eligible FHEIs to Register and apply : http://fhei.ugc.ac.in

Industry Information Updates

UGC paves way for university-industry partnerships for research, paid internships, funds

To encourage research through industry partnerships in universities, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has drafted guidelines on sustainable and vibrant university-industry linkage for the institutions.

The draft guidelines on Sustainable and Vibrant University-Industry Linkage System for Indian Universities recommend creation of Industry Relation Cell or IRC at the universities and University Relation Cell at companies for collaborations.

The main objective of the IRC, as per the guidelines, is to enable collaborative project creation between a university faculty group and an industry group. Its responsibility will be to identify research topics, including topics relevant to the local area, identify potential research problems for industry and the university, explore funding sources for the research among others.

It also suggests creating a “cluster of universities and industries” enabled by technology at state level led by institutions of state or central government in each region.“ Each cluster may create a technology centric mechanism to capture the local problems and then assign the same as projects to the students based on the infrastructural cum human expertise available at the host institute of a student,” the ugc guidelines state.

To facilitate this, the guidelines encourage joint development of new technologies in research labs of the universities or educational institutions to benefit technology transfer.

The guidelines further facilitate roping in professors of practice to facilitate collaboration between industry partners at the universities.

Endowment, degrees by industry partners

The industry, as per the guidelines, can provide endowments to create advanced facilities and vocational training centres as per the requirement of the industry or for the cause of education.

It allows industry partners to help university students to use “sophisticated and costly equipment” available in industry and open access of university resources for industry partners for testing and certification.

According to the draft, industries can also establish industry chairs in universities and support scholarship schemes to attract meritorious young researchers to university.

To make students job-ready, the guidelines recommend offering collaborative degree programmes tailored for industry personnel or with emphasis on practice. Project work under this programme can be executed under joint guidance of the teachers and experts from industry on generic or industry problems, the guidelines states.

Internship and apprenticeship

Apart from research collaborations, the draft guidelines also bat for internship and apprenticeship opportunities. University can introduce internship or apprenticeship irrespective of the field including Arts, Science and Engineering as per the UGC Curriculum and Credit framework for programmes. The internship related credits will be awarded based on the credit framework.

Universities will be free to decide the number of internships and types of internships with the approval of statutory authorities. A faculty member will be assigned to handle and coordinate the internships related to the academic programme.

The guidelines further encourage firms to offer paid internships to students and put in efforts in making the internships sustainable. To safeguard students’ interest, the guidelines also have provision for companies to ensure accident insurance protection for the participants.

Source:https://news.careers360.com/ugc-guidelines-industry-partnership-universities-research-paid-internship-endownment-fund

UGC Public Notice for seeking comments/suggestions/feedback 

UGC Public Notice for seeking comments/suggestions/feedback on draft University Grants Commission (Setting up and Operation of Campuses of Foreign Higher Educational Institutions in India) Regulations, 2023

UGC has drafted enabling Regulations facilitating the establishment of campuses of Foreign Higher Educational Institutions in India.

The Draft University Grants Commission (Setting up and Operation of Campuses of Foreign Higher Educational Institutions in India) Regulations, 2023, is placed in the public domain.

UGC invites comments/suggestions/feedback from all stakeholders on the aforesaid Draft Regulations, and the same may be sent to ugcforeigncollaboration@gmail.com up to 18th January, 2023

Notification – UGC asks higher education institutions to get registered on BioRRAP

Biological Research Regulatory Approval Portal (BioRRAP)

The integrated portal – Biological Research Regulatory Approval Portal (BioRRAP)-has been initiated by the Government of India (GOI) to provide regulatory information to researchers and to facilitate approvals.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has asked higher educational institutions and their affiliated colleges/institutions to get registered on Biological Research Regulatory Approval Portal (BioRRAP).

According to UGC, it is one-of-a-kind digital gateway intended to make science and scientific research more accessible as well as make it easier to create businesses. The information on international research projects as approved by all line Ministries/Departments of GOI is expected to be integrated with BioRRAP (with unique BioRRAP ID for each proposal).

With regard to Research Projects by entities falling under the category of Central/State Government, the relevant approvals will be dealt with by the concerned Ministry of the Government of India. State Governments have been requested to forward all such proposals to the concerned line Ministry of Government of India

In respect of Non-Government Organizations, the Health Ministry’s Screening Committee, operated by DHR/ICMR, that has been reconstituted by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare will review the research projects involving international collaboration/funding in health research including studies in humans, animals, plants & environment.

UGC advised the higher educational institutions to follow the above provisions strictly and get registered on the portal

Source:https://odishatv.in/news/education/ugc-asks-higher-education-institutions-to-get-registered-on-biorrap-193363