Rewriting the research story at Shiv Nadar University and SSN Institutions

Universities are not only institutions responsible for the dissemination of knowledge but the creation of new knowledge. Both shiv Nadar University and SSN, the higher education institutions under the aegis of Shiv Nadar Foundation are working towards integrating research seamlessly into the teaching-learning process. Some of the steps taken by the institutions to promote research thinking include the following:

Creating adequate research infrastructure: Both Shiv Nadar University and SSN have invested heavily in creating adequate research infrastructure. While SSN has already set up the SSN Innovation Centre and the SSN Incubation Centre to promote innovation and encourage commercialization of research, the Shiv Nadar University was selected by NITI Ayog this year to set up an Atal Incubation center in its campus. The Shiv Nadar University has also created a new research block that is equipped with cutting edge technology to facilitate impactful and relevant research.

Promoting and evaluating scholarly research at every level – Research is not only encouraged at the PhD level or for the faculty members but even for undergraduate and postgraduate students.

SSN actively promotes a culture of research for students and conducts several workshops and competitions throughout the year to identify and nurture unique and potentially viable ideas. Very recently two students from SSN filed a patent for their invention GoSafe – a Women’s Safety Device. There are several other such ideas being incubated at SSN currently. At Shiv Nadar University, the Opportunities for Undergraduate Research (OUR) program was instituted to integrate research into the curriculum and allows students to work on research projects of their interest irrespective of their current program of study.

Promoting collaborative work – Creation of new knowledge seldom happens in silos. Collaboration with the industry, other academic institutions and the Government is important to facilitate cross-pollination of ideas and boost research. SSN is collaborating with the Ministry of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) for funding innovative ideas and also working on several projects funded by Government organizations like DRDO, CSIR, AICTE, ISRO etc,

Shiv Nadar University is also partnering with industry leaders like DELL to collaborate and drive excellence in research and innovation. In order to promote cross-institutional research the University recently concluded the Project E-QUAL supported by the British Council. This was jointly done by five universities including Ambedkar University, Jadavpur University, King’s College London, Shiv Nadar University, University of Bologna, and University of Hyderabad to enhance the quality, access, and governance of undergraduate education in India.

Both SSN and SNU aim to become internationally recognized for the quality of its research and creative endeavors and their applicability to improving quality of life, generating new insights and expanding the boundaries of human knowledge and creativity.