The New Indian Express News

PMO pushes for overhaul of PhD programmes, commercialisation of defence technology

NEW DELHI: Aimed at transforming the countrys doctoral research ecosystem and leveraging defence technology for civilian applications, the Prime Minister's Office has issued directives to the secretaries. It directed the secretaries to reexamine the selection of guides for doctoral degrees and start commercialisation of defence sector innovations, sources said on Saturday. The PMO directives outlining a fundamental restructuring of higher education research protocols stated: The method of selection of guides for doctoral degrees may be reexamined, and possibilities of selection through identified parameters may be explored. The document accessed by The New Indian Express further emphasised: PhD programmes should be reoriented to promote innovation and development of new relevant ideas and technologies through PhD topics which fit emerging needs and priorities of the country. After finding a disconnect between academic research and the countrys developmental priorities, the decision at the PMO level was taken to align things at the fundamental level. Unscrupulous 'health'journals and plagiarised research papers by doctors under MCI scanner The governments emphasis on restructuring of higher education research - PhD topics - to fit emerging needs and priorities of the country is mainly to address longstanding criticisms and demand that research lacks practical application or alignment with the countrys objectives, unlike Western or some Southeastern countries. Through Network Project System, including research by multiple research scholars, may be explored, read the directive. The PMO wants to shun the traditional doctoral research models and has proposed collaborative frameworks, the source said. The government is also working on making a strong and credible Network Project System. The changes proposed in the directives are to address the complex technological challenges that require multidisciplinary teams. The Prime Minister's Office also directed for expansion of the commercialisation of defence sector innovations. Researchers and manufacturers in defence sectors should be encouraged to use their technology for commercial manufacturing of products for civilian use to promote technological development, the document stated. This push for defence technology commercialisation is motivated by dual objectives, the source said. First, it is aimed at reducing India's dependence on imported civilian technologies, and secondly, creating revenue streams that further support defence research. The PMO has also suggested exploring reverse engineering can also be one of the valuable tools for technological advancement and in an effort to make the country Atmanirbhar Bharat. Need advanced research, AI to tackle public health challenges: Pondy LG