Union Education Minister Shri Dharmendra Pradhan chairs 13th Meeting of the Council of National Institutes of Technology, Science Education and Research (NITSER), at Bharat Mandapam today.

The 13th Meeting of the Council of the National Institutes of Technology, Science Education and Research (NITSER) was held on 13 January 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, under the chairmanship of Union Minister for Education Shri Dharmendra Pradhan. The meeting was preceded by the 3rd Meeting of the Standing Committee of the Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs).

Shri Dharmendra Pradhan reviewed presentations on elevating academic and research standards, enhancing governance efficiency and further boosting innovation and entrepreneurship at our NITs and IIESTs. Also, discussed the way forward.

The Minister said that our curriculum must be aligned to national priorities. Our PhD programs must be industry-centric, he added. He also suggested to create an industry-led curriculum committee for developing curriculum based on new and emerging job roles and 21st century requirements.

The Minister stated that our premier technological institutions must also come under accreditation framework.

He also said that NITs and IIESTs are poised to serve as vibrant hubs of applied education, research, innovation and future-ready workforce development. They will also make crucial contributions towards driving national progress and realising the vision of Viksit Bharat, he added.

Following points were discussed during the meeting:

1. Reforms:

• Align curricula, assessment, academic programmes and research with critical and emerging technologies such as Industry 4.0, green hydrogen, manufacturing, artificial intelligence, data analytics, cybersecurity, quantum technologies and semiconductors driving India’s progress towards Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Viksit Bharat by 2047 through excellence in science, technology and innovation.

• Specialized PG/M.Tech. Programmes aligned with specific industry requirements.

• 360 degree PhD reforms:

o Industry-led and Industry-funded PhD;

o product-based PhD;

o PhD assignment to faculty based on faculty performance;

2. Innovation:

• The Council also underscored the importance of building robust innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystems to enable a transition from job seekers to job creators.

• 13 NITs that do not presently have an incubation centre should immediately set it up.

• at least 10 NITs should immediately initiate the establishment of a Research Park.

• Organise a pitching Conclave in July, 2026 for the start-ups incubated in NITs in collaboration with investors and industry stakeholders.

3. Agreed by all the NITs and IISERs:

• to complete External Peer review in 1 year.

• The importance of accreditation as a key quality assurance mechanism- institutions resolving to actively participate in the national accreditation framework (NAAC).

4. Promoting inclusivity through the use of ‘Bharatiya Bhashas’ and adopting artificial intelligence for multilingual learning, committing to take all necessary steps to enable learners from diverse linguistic backgrounds to learn effectively.

The meetings were attended by several distinguished dignitaries, including Members of Parliament Shri Ghanshyam Tiwari and Shri Shashank Mani; Prof. Anil D. Sahasrabudhe, Chairman, Executive Committee, NAAC and Chairman, NETF; Prof. M. Jagadesh Kumar, former Chairman, UGC; Shri Chamu Krishna Shastry, Chairman, Bharatiya Bhasha Samiti; Ms. Debjani Ghosh, Distinguished Fellow, NITI Aayog; Shri Deepak Bagla, Chief Executive Officer, Atal Innovation Mission; Shri S. Krishnan, Secretary,Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology; Dr.Vineet Joshi, Secretary, Department of Higher Education; Prof. Abhay Karandikar, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology; Dr. Shekhar C. Mande, former Secretary, DSIR; Prof. Govindan Rangarajan, Director, IISc Bengaluru; Prof. Rangan Banerjee, Director, IIT Delhi; Chairpersons of IISERs, NITs and IIEST; Directors of IISERs, NITs and IIEST; the Director, CSIR–CMERI, Durgapur; and senior officials of the Ministry of Education.

Chaired the 13th Meeting of Council of National Institutes of Technology, Science Education and Research.

Reviewed presentations on elevating academic and research standards, enhancing governance efficiency and further boosting innovation and entrepreneurship at our NITs and… pic.twitter.com/HcUYNA6Wxg

— Dharmendra Pradhan (@dpradhanbjp) January 13, 2026

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AK

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