MHRD to rank HEIs on innovative practices; launches Innovation Cell

NEW DELHI, AUGUST 30: In order to encourage healthy competition among Higher Educational Institutions and foster innovation culture, the Ministry of Human Resource Development has constituted two new specialised agencies, namely Innovation Cell and Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements (ARIIA).

ARIIA has been launched to systematically rank education institutions and universities primarily on innovation-related indicators. ARIIA will consider all major indicators which are commonly used globally to rank the most innovative education institutions/ universities in the world.

Prakash Javadekar, Minister of HRD during the launch said that without innovation no country can achieve sustainable development and prosperity. He further said that the establishment of an innovation cell leading to innovation club, leading to Smart India Hackathon and leading to student’s start-ups, are the real ecosystem which we want to build upon for development of innovation culture in India.

As per the Ministry, the primary mandate of Innovation Cell is to encourage, inspire and nurture young students by exposing them to new ideas and processes resulting in innovative activities in their formative years fostered through Network of Innovation clubs in Higher Educational Institutions.

The Innovation cell has been established at the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) with a purpose to systematically foster the culture of Innovation in all Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) across the country. The primary mandate of Innovation Cell is to encourage, inspire and nurture young students by exposing them to new ideas and processes resulting in innovative activities in their formative years fostered through Network of Innovation clubs in Higher Educational Institutions.

ARIIA ranking will certainly inspire Indian institutions to reorient their mindset and build ecosystems to encourage high-quality research, innovation and entrepreneurship. More than quantity, ARIIA will focus on the quality of innovations and will try to measure the real impact created by these innovations nationally and internationally. Moreover, ARIIA will set tone and direction for institutions for future development for making them globally competitive and in forefront of innovation.