• Member
• April 26, 2025

Minutes of the On Meeting Industry Academia Collaboration Fifth March 2025

Minutes of the Meeting: Industry-Academia Collaboration

Attendees: Representatives from academia, industry professionals, entrepreneurs, and international experts .

 

Background

In order  to bring  Industry academia  collaboration  on the agenda  of the  stakeholders   an  online meet   on industry-academia collaboration   “ Great Products and services require  both wings and  wheels”   was  organized .  Members of  Industry , academia  and  government  would be attended  the meeting . The  meet was  organized by Srijan Sanchar  and the community of practitioners  Industry Academia  Bridge .  Large number  of industries  and academic institutions  co hosted  the meeting

Co Hosts  and participating Institutions  and industries

1.Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University

2. Peter the Great  St. Petersburg Polytechnic University .St Peterberg Russia

3. Babu Dinesh Singh University https

4. SSV College Hapur

5. Raghunath Girls’ Post-Graduate College Meerut

6.ACET Nagpur

 

Industry

1.       Conveyor & Ropeways  Services Pvt Ltd

2.       Ankit  Toys

3.       CSJM Innovation Foundation

4.       NMCI  Group

5.       Akistech Limited

 

 

 

 

Agenda

1. Bridging the gap between academia and industry
2. Challenges in skill development and employability
3. Strengthening industry-academia collaboration
4. Role of MSMEs in student internships
5. International collaboration opportunities
6. Proposed roadmap for effective partnerships

 

Key takeaways

1. Industry-academia collaboration is crucial for solving India’s employability crisis.
2. Developing  a community of practitioners by bringing the Right People Together Across Industry and Academia
3. Skill development in India is significantly low, requiring urgent reforms in the education system.
4. Practical training and industry exposure must be integrated into university curricula.
5. MSMEs should be actively involved in providing internships, supported by government incentives.
6. Women’s participation in STEM fields needs to be encouraged through targeted training programs.
7. International partnerships can help Indian universities gain global exposure and funding.

8.        Nurturing collaborative ecosystems for regional growth

9. A structured roadmap for industry-academia collaboration should be implemented, with clear milestones and monitoring mechanisms.

Sessions

1.      Imperatives of Industry Academia Collaboration

2.      Transforming Knowledge To Wealth

3.      Integrated  idea  to product/services   continuum

4.      Defining core competencies and area of focus for Academia

5.      Communicating University Research Strengths to Industry

6.      Framework for understanding, defining and prioritizing problems of industry.

7.      Models and Mechanisms of collaboration

8.      Collaboration Readiness Level in Industry-Academia Collaboration

9.      The  Future of  Industry Academia  Collaboration.

 

Discussion Points:

1. Bridging the Gap Between Academia and Industry

• Shailendra Jaiswal opened the discussion, emphasizing the importance of collaboration between academia and industry to improve skill development and employability.
• Despite India having thousands of universities and engineering colleges, industry leaders struggle to find job-ready graduates.
• Dr. D.D. Agarwal highlighted the inefficiencies in the current education system, which fails to provide students with industry-specific skills.

2. Challenges in Skill Development & Employability

• Rachana Mukherjee shared insights from the infrastructure sector, emphasizing the lack of operation-ready professionals.
• India has less than 5% skilled workforce, compared to countries like Germany, Korea, and Japan.
• Engineers and technicians lack practical knowledge and real-world exposure, leading to additional training costs for industries.
• MSME sector faces a severe shortage of trained manpower, making them dependent on unskilled labor.

3. Strengthening Industry-Academia Collaboration

• Dr. Kalpana Maheshwari proposed an on-the-job training (OJT) model, where students spend six months in academia and six months in industry.
• Faculty members should undergo 15-day industry internships to stay updated with market trends.
• Industry professionals should be directly involved in curriculum design to align education with market needs.
• Mr Prashant  Bohra  brought out   the importance  of communication of strengths  of academic  research to industry .

4. Role of MSMEs in Student Internships

• Neeraj Singhal, President of the Indian Industries Association, emphasized the role of MSMEs in skill development.
• Students tend to prefer internships in large corporations, overlooking the hands-on experience provided by MSMEs.
• MSMEs often lack funding to pay interns competitively, making it difficult to attract top students.
• The government should provide incentives and funding to MSMEs for internship programs.

5. International Collaboration Opportunities

• Professor Olga Ergunova from St. Petersburg University shared insights on Russia’s research and innovation trends, highlighting strengths in nanotechnology, food chemistry, and engineering.
• BRICS countries provide opportunities for joint research, academic exchange, and funding.
• Indian universities should actively participate in global forums, research partnerships, and innovation incubators.
• The International Young Scientists Competition on Smart Cities 2030 was introduced as a potential collaboration avenue.
• Mr Bhoopendra Singh  shared  the need  for  industry academia  collaboration to  connect  different  levels  of colleges  and  industries .

6. Proposed Roadmap for Effective Partnerships

• Mr  Nitin Gawhne  emphasized Industry Need Assessment: Identify gaps and align university curricula with emerging industry needs. The point was stresses by Mr Ashoo Srivastava
• Mr Nitin Gawhne  outlined  the need  for next phase  of industry academia  initiatives  by focusing on specific sectors
• He  proposed  groups for specific  sectors  . The identified sectors
• The sectors identified are  ropeways,  electrically   powered vehicles  , Food processing , tourism ,Sports   
• Mr  Chakradhar  brought  out the need  for industry  academia  collaboration in clusters .
• Mr Aditendra  Jaiswal suggested cluster wise  innovation challenge  for identifying  problems and potential solutions .
• Curriculum Redesign: Universities should work with industry mentors to develop relevant and updated courses.
• On-the-Job Training Model: Encourage a structured internship model where students gain real-world exposure.
• Encouraging Women in STEM: Implement targeted programs to increase women’s participation in technical fields.
• Government Incentives: Advocate for tax benefits and grants to support MSMEs in offering internships.
• International Collaboration: Expand partnerships with BRICS nations, EU institutions, and global industry leaders.

Action Items:

• Universities to redesign curricula incorporating industry inputs.
• Industry bodies to facilitate student internships and provide mentorship.
• Government agencies to offer funding support for MSME-led internship programs.
• Academia to initiate global collaborations for research and innovation.
• Industry professionals to engage with faculty for knowledge exchange and training.

Next Steps & Follow-up Meeting:

• A follow-up meeting will be scheduled in three months to track progress on agreed action items.
• Industry and academia representatives will submit reports on implementation challenges and successes.
• A working group will be formed to oversee the roadmap execution.

List of attendees: Attendees:

• Mr. Aasmhd Qureshi
• Mr. Abhishake Nandan Srivastava
• Mr. Aditendra Jaiswal
• Mr. Ajay Kumar
• Mr. Akhilesh Singh
• Mr. Alok Kumar
• Ms. Amaara Rajvanshi
• Mr. Aman Kumar
• Ms. Anchal Saini
• Mr. Anil Krishnan
• Ms. Anita Nagar
• Ms. Anjali Raj Prajapati
• Mr. Anshul Shrivastav
• Mr. Anuj Kumar Garg
• Ms. Aqsa Urooj
• Ms. Areena Javid
• Mr. Arman Ansari
• Mr. Arsh Panwar
• Ms. Arti Sharma
• Mr. Avi Saini
• Ms. Avni Sharma
• Ms. Aysha Khatoon Sabri
• Ms. Ayushi Chauhan
• Ms. Babita Devi
• Ms. Babita Maji
• Ms. Barkha Srivastava
• Mr. Bhoopendra Singh
• Mr. Chakradhar
• Ms. Deeksha Yajurvedi
• Mr. Deepak Mishra
• Ms. Deepanjali Achlash
• Mr. Divya
• Dr. Geeta Singh
• Dr. Renu Agarwal
• Dr. Anuradha
• Dr. B.P. Joshi
• Dr. D.D. Agarwal
• Dr. Kalpana Maheshwari
• Dr. Meenakshi Agarwal
• Dr. Meenakshi Jain
• Dr. Rabins Porwal
• Dr. Sachin Untawale
• Ms. Geeta Rani
• Ms. Gungunraj
• Ms. Hanshika Chaudhary
• Mr. Hari Prasad Jaiswal
• Mr. Haroon Joshi
• Ms. Himanshi Bhadana
• Mr. Ifra Naeem
• Ms. Insha Shah
• Ms. Isha Singh
• Ms. Ishoo Ratna Srivastav
• Ms. Kajal Mishra
• Mr. Kamlesh Kelwade
• Ms. Kanishka Anand
• Ms. Kasak Rastogi
• Ms. Khushi Verma
• Ms. Khyati Gohil
• Ms. Kirti Khandelwal
• Ms. Kumkum Pareek
• Ms. Lavanya Todiwal
• Major Prof. Anjula Rajvanshi
• Mr. Manoj Gurjar
• Ms. Mansi Rni
• Ms. Manvi Mundewal (Manu)
• Mr. Mayar Saifi
• Mr. Milind Mali
• Ms. Mizna Ansari
• Mr. Mohit Sharma
• Mr. Nagar Gujjar
• Ms. Navya Tiwari
• Ms. Neena Batra
• Mr. Neeraj Singhal
• Mr. Nikhil Singh
• Mr. Nitin Gawhane
• Ms. Olga Ergunova
• Ms. Pallavi Tiwari
• Mr. Pankaj Vekria
• Ms. Poonam Lakhanpal
• Mr. Prakhar Singh
• Mr. Prem Prasad
• Principal ACET
• Ms. Priya Kashyap
• Ms. Priya Saini
• Ms. Priyanshi
• Prof. M.K. Singh
• Prof. Sonika Choudhary
• Ms. Rachana Mukherjee
• Ms. Rahnuma Khan
• Ms. Reetu Singh
• Mr. Rinku Kumar
• Mr. Sahil Saifi
• Mr. Sai Katikaneni
• Mr. Sajjad Khan
• Ms. Saloni Chaudhary
• Ms. Sana Choudhary
• Mr. Sandeep Wankhade
• Ms. Saniya Ali
• Mr. Sanjay Bhardwaj
• Ms. Sarika Jha
• Mr. Satish Kumar
• Ms. Shagun
• Mr. Shailendra Jaiswal
• Ms. Shailza Ji
• Mr. Sheel Bhadra Sarkar
• Ms. Sheeza Sheeza
• Ms. Shikha Pandey
• Ms. Shivam Pal
• Ms. Shreya Jain
• Mr. Shubham Singh
• Ms. Shumaila Qureshi
• Ms. Shweta Mittal
• Ms. Simran Verma
• Mr. Subrata Nath
• Mr. Sushil Kumar Sindhu
• Mr. Syed Irfan Ali
• Ms. Tanisha Gupta
• Ms. Tasneem Khan
• Ms. Teena
• Mr. Tirupati Goskula
• Mr. Udal Singh
• Ms. Ujma Saifi
• Ms. Upasna Motla
• Ms. Urvashi Rani
• Ms. Vanshika Singh
• Mr. Vatsal Mehrish
• Ms. Vedika Siwach
• Mr. Vibhakar Ramtirthkar
• Mr. Vijay Singh
• Mr. Vipin Srivastav
• Mr. Vishnu Dutt Tyagi
• Mr. Vivek Mishra
• Ms. Zainab Khan
• Mr. Zakir Khan