The National Institute of Technology in Tiruchi recently kicked off a program as part of the Global Initiative of Academic Networks (GIAN) in Higher Education. This initiative aims to harness the expertise of scientists and entrepreneurs, tapping into their rich talent pool.
About Global Initiative of Academic Networks
- In 2015, the Global Initiative of Academic Networks (GIAN) in Higher Education was launched under the Ministry of Education.
- Its aim is to leverage the expertise of scientists and entrepreneurs worldwide, encouraging their involvement with Indian higher education institutes.
- This initiative seeks to enhance India’s academic resources, expedite quality improvements, and raise its scientific and technological prowess on the global stage.
- The primary goal is to bolster the quality of higher education through international partnerships.
- Another objective is to increase the presence of esteemed international faculty in Indian academic institutions.
- GIAN strives to import international academic excellence into India’s higher education landscape.
- IIT Kharagpur serves as the nodal agency for overseeing the program.
Salient Features of GIAN
- Foreign experts receive an honorarium to cover their travel and other expenses when they conduct short-term courses at Indian institutions.
- The program, initially aimed at fostering collaboration between India and the United States of America, has since expanded its scope.
- Courses vary in duration, ranging from one week to a maximum of three weeks.
- Foreign experts can receive a lump-sum payment of up to US$ 8000 (approximately ₹7 lakh) for 12 to 14 hours of contact time and up to US$ 12000 (approximately ₹12 lakh) for 20 to 28 hours of contact time.
Significance of GIAN Programme
- Since the establishment of GIAN, the Central government has allocated a minimum of ₹126 crore towards supporting foreign faculty’s travel expenses and honorarium.
- Over the course of the scheme’s initiation in 2015-16, a total of 1,612 foreign faculty members from 59 countries have visited India to conduct courses.
- Among the venues for these courses, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) campuses hosted the highest number, accounting for 692 courses (39% of the total), followed by National Institute of Technology (NIT) campuses with 436 courses (24.6%).
- The majority of visiting academicians, comprising 41.4% (668 individuals), hailed from the United States. Other notable contributors included experts from the United Kingdom (143), Germany (93), Canada (89), among others.
- The initiative directly benefited approximately 72,000 Indian students.
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