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- The Universities for Research and Innovation Bill, 2012 was introduced in the Lok Sabha in May, 2012.
- The Bill seeks to allow the central government to set up Universities emerge as hubs of education, research and innovation. They may also establish campuses in foreign countries.
- The key objectives of the universities are:
- 1. to attempt through research to provide a path for mankind free from deprivation;
- 2. to provide society with innovators to meet its knowledge needs;
- 3. to be transparent in admission, appointment and academic evaluation;
- 4. to build linkages with research institutions and industry.
- These universities shall have autonomy in matters such as awarding degrees and diplomas, appointing teaching and research faculty and determining fees to be paid by students and salary to be paid to the faculty. It can define standards of admission to the university.
- In case of public funded universities, the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Act, 2006 shall apply. In case the universities are private, they shall specify by Statutes such criteria to account for diversities in social educational background. However, reservation is applicable only for seats available for Indian citizens. At least half the students admitted to a programme in the university shall be Indian citizens.
- Every university shall be a not-for-profit legal entity. All surplus generated by the university has to be reinvested for the growth of such university.
- A person can set up a university if it is:
- 1. a non-profit company under the Companies Act, 1956, a society or a trust, which is an organisation of repute and has proven innovations in research;
- 2. a university in India for at least 25 years and is accredited as a university of repute
- 3. a foreign university, which is at least 50 years old and reputed.
- Each university shall constitute a Board of Governors, an Academic Board and a Research Council. The Bill specifies certain criteria for membership in each of these bodies. The Research Council shall publish its annual output on its website three years after it is established.
- Each university shall maintain a University Endowment Fund with such initial corpus as provided in the Memorandum of Agreement (agreement between the promoter of the university and the central government).
- The Bill provides for a process of protection and utilization of intellectual property created out of public funded research. It also provides for review of these universities by experts at regular intervals.
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