On path to self-sufficiency: After Nigeria, NIPER Mohali to admit students from Florida, Zimbabwe

Has received requisition from the University of Florida and Harare Institute of Technology, Zimbabwe, for exchange of students pursuing different courses

Having received a request from a Nigerian university to take its students on board, the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) in Mohali will now admit students from other foreign countries such as Florida and Zimbabwe.

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“We have received a requisition from the University of Florida and Harare Institute of Technology, Zimbabwe, for exchange of students pursuing different courses. We are working on it,” said an official, requesting anonymity.

“Last month, NIPER had received an offer from the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development, Abuja, Nigeria, to collaborate with it and admit its students. Work for the same is in its last stages,” the official said, adding that foreign students were being admitted to make NIPER a self-reliant body.

In September 2019, an internal and external budget resources meet was held where the idea of making all NIPER centres across India self-reliant was raised.

All NIPER directors, including Raghuram Rao Akkinepally (then director of NIPER Mohali), attended the meet at the office of department of pharmaceuticals secretary PD Vaghela in New Delhi. Directors had then sought ideas on ways of generating revenue for the institute from teaching faculty. Some teachers had then suggested that the institutes should start admitting foreign students to the campus. “Foreign students will pay a higher fee than the domestic ones, which will increase the revenue of the institute,” said another official.

Renting out guest houses and swimming pools was also discussed. Some suggested that the institutes should become consultancy partners for medical industries.

SAVING PLANS

The official said the annual expenditure of NIPER was ₹45 crore. “We are expecting to save 30% of the total funds allocated to us by generating revenue through the centre,” he said.

TIE-UP WITH JAPANESE UNIVERSITY

NIPER has also tied up with Shizuoka University, Japan. “We are sending 10 students to the university for a one-month training in advancement studies course,” he said. SJS Flora, who has the additional charge of director NIPER, said many plans were in the pipeline for improving NIPER.