“Develop National Soft Power through Academic Collaborations”: ISB Dean Professor Rajendra Srivastava
ISB- one of the Champion Institutes’ for the Management vertical of VAIBHAV Summit 2020
New Delhi: Academic collaborations, multi-disciplinary and applied research should focus on and be linked to India-related priorities, said Professor Rajendra Srivastava, Dean, Indian School of Business (ISB) while moderating the first panel session on the Management vertical at the Vaishwik Bhartiya Vaigyanik (VAIBHAV) Summit 2020. This summit has been conceptualised under the leadership of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, as a month-long global summit of non-resident Indians, domestic scientists and academicians. ISB along with IIM-Ahmedabad and IIM-Shillong are the three ‘Champion Institutes’ for the Management vertical of this summit. https://innovate.mygov.in/vaibhav-summit/#tab5
The first panel had an illustrious set of members from across the world and India including Professor Charles Dhanaraj of the University of Denver, Professor Sumit Kundu from Florida International University, Professor Rakesh Basant from IIM Ahmedabad, Professor D P Goyal from IIM Shillong, Professor Farok Contractor from Rutgers University and Professor Ramayya Krishnan from Carnegie Mellon University.
Professor Srivastava while mentioning that there was a huge potential in global academic collaborations was realistic and outlined the various challenges including that of connecting resident management scientists with the NRI/Diaspora community, the implications of the New Education Policy (NEP), the need to focus on problems worth solving, acceleration of quality and impact of research, developing national soft power through academic collaborations and fostering inter-disciplinary research like between medicine and technology.
Crucially, the high-powered panel drew up an innovative roadmap for the future with eight pillars. These include linking collaborations to Indian priorities like trade, FDI, healthcare and education; creation of Unique Research Assets and databases; development of Global Centres of Excellence in areas like Diabetes management and digital transformation, tax incentives and CSR funds for Education; Joint and Dual Degrees and Certification; Digital and Online Programmes; Worldwide Conferences and Summer Programmes and developing India as the ‘Sabbatical Capital.’ Adds ISB’s Srivastava, “VAIBHAV is an excellent initiative by the government to foster collaboration between Indian institutions and foreign universities. This summit will help create a climate for an action plan that will change the landscape of higher education for the national good.”
Over the next one month, the Management vertical will be deliberated within 6 horizontals: Fostering academic collaborations; Mechanisms to increase Research outputs from Indian institutions; Business innovation; Entrepreneurship for growth; Management of New-Age (Knowledge) Organisations and Making India a Centre of Practice-Oriented Management Knowledge.