MU budget: ₹10.89cr set aside for research, to increase patents, publications

To boost its research output, the University of Mumbai (MU) has set aside ₹10.89 crore in this year’s budget — a five-fold jump from last year’s ₹1.99 crore. The

To boost its research output, the University of Mumbai (MU) has set aside ₹10.89 crore in this year’s budget — a five-fold jump from last year’s ₹1.99 crore. The university’s budget for 2020-21 of ₹809.24 crore was approved in the senate on Friday night.

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While this year’s budget makes provisions for some new projects, the projected research income has seen a significant jump. In 2018-19, the university spent ₹3.12 crore on research schemes. This dropped to ₹1.99 crore in 2019-20. University pro vice-chancellor Ravindra Kulkarni said it was keen on improving its research infrastructure as well as its output in terms of publications and patents.

Sources said this was part of MU’s continuous efforts to improve its research efficiency. According to the latest data submitted to the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), the number of sponsored research projects dropped from 54 in 2017-18 to 25 in 2018-19. However, sponsored research funds grew 2.5 times, from ₹6.85 crore in 2017-18 to ₹17.25 crore in the subsequent year. During the same time, the number of patents increased to 26 from nine.

Apart from research, a significant sum has been set aside to make university campuses disabled-friendly. The university plans to spend ₹22.5 crore on the upgrade. This is in line with the state government’s disability policy for higher education through which universities were to reserve 3% of their budget to make campuses more accessible for disabled. This includes access to infrastructure, peer support systems, disabled-friendly furniture, and teaching aids.

The senate approved a ₹66.8- crore deficit budget. The new projects proposed include the Balasaheb Thackeray Arts and Cultural Centre and a digital library. The university has reserved ₹40 crore for basic infrastructure at sub-centres in Ratnagiri, Thane, Sindhudurg, and Palghar.