Page 131 - VIT - Self Study Report

7.3 Institutional Distinctiveness

7.3.1 Portray the performance of the Institution in one area distinctive to its priority and
thrust within 1000 words

Response:

INCULCATION OF RESEARCH CULTURE AT GRASSROOTS LEVEL

After becoming a Deemed to be University, VIT has been committed to research by treating it as
the epicenter of growth and development in all directions. Such an approach has always been

driven by the farsightedness of a robust research culture that is imperative for building an ideal
society which aims at development of the people and the country in its entirety. This would in

turn, mean that research culture is fundamental to the growth of a society, as it would groom a
potential and knowledgeable population with high sense of rationality and utmost commitment to

society. However, admittedly, unlike the developed countries, a culture of research is largely

missing in our institutions of higher education, which are the major centres for enriching the
manpower at all levels. Keeping this in view, VIT has been making sincere attempts to inculcate

research culture from undergraduate levels. have been taken into account by VIT to accomplish its
goal in inculcating research culture at grassroots level.

With a view to attaining this objective, VIT, in addition to the research activities pursued at
Master’s and Ph.D. levels, has incorporated research components at undergraduate levels

(immediately after the plus two levels). Not only that the undergraduate students are expected to
devote at least one full semester (preferably the last semester) exclusively for project, involving

original research to be pursued either in VIT or in another institute par excellence, they are also
encouraged to carry out research with a faculty member on a particular research topic. This

association has led to publishing the results in journals of repute. Hundreds of UG students have

successfully completed such studies in collaboration with the faculty members; the number is
phenomenally increasing year by year; 664 publications were evolved out of these collaborations

in 2018. Further, the UG students are ncouraged to choose courses (URE001 and URE002) on
“Undergraduate Research Experience”, so that they are exposed to various disciplines of

research and innovation; this could inspire them to opt research as their career. VIT has also a
unique system of conducting research seminar (exclusively a student-centered programme) in

every semester (referred to as SET Conference; Science, Engineering &Technology

Conference). This student-driven Conference, the largest (and probably the only one) of its kind
in India, wherein research papers are being presented under the supervision of faculty members,

131