The Project expects to maximize collaboration between local Industries and project institutions by providing the National Steering Committee and the State Steering Committees (through CIHEC and S‐PSAG) with timely, precise, and concrete advice and summarized feedback on Academia‐Industry partnerships to meet the National demand for graduates and postgraduates equipped with skills and knowledge relevant to the changing market requirements.

The collaboration and coordination at the Central and State levels will enable establishment and effective functioning of Academia‐Industry collaborations. The expected benefits, among others, will be:

  • Improvement of the skills of future job candidates through inputs on curricula,

  • Early access to highly educated talent,

  • Relevant research and technology development demanded by the market,

  • Access to new ideas and early research results through such means as offering problems for solution through consultancy,

  • Technical assistance through interaction with researchers,

  • Access to specialized R&D equipment and laboratories,

  • Professional development of employed engineers and technicians, and

  • Access to intellectual property.

1.Council of Industry‐Higher Education Collaboration (CIHEC):

To identify initiatives to promote research, mobilize resources, develop market‐ready manpower and enhance employability CIHEC has been operationalize. The Council will collaborate with placement cells of Central Universities for identification of the emerging areas as per requirement of neighbouring industries to make students employment ready. The CIHEC will also help train counsellors at all placement cells for better counselling and placements. Central universities have been asked to establish a placement cell for all disciplines. Every placement cell will have counsellors who should give in‐house training for skill development and coordinate placements

2. State Private Sector Advisory Group (S‐PSAG):

State Governments are expected to establish State‐level Private Sector Advisory Groups. The Advisory Groups at the State level will consist of representative of the private sector conducting business activities in the respective States with relevance and knowledge of TEQIP. The number of participants (maximum of 10) in the State‐level advisory group will depend on the size of the State and the range of industrial activities taking place in the State. States with less than 3 Institutions may form a cluster of States and establish S‐PSAG at one State. The State‐level Advisory Groups will equally be represented in the State Steering Committee.

The S‐PSAG will oversee the Academia‐Industry partnerships within its respective State and actively interact with both the Institutions and the private sector to ensure effective functioning of the partnership.

Each S‐PSAG will set up a mechanism to identify issues and difficulties at an early stage that potentially obstruct/restrict promotion of the partnerships and slow down implementation of the related project activities.

Taking into account the identified issues and difficulties, the S‐PSAG will provide timely and practical advice to the SSC, the Institutions and the private sector.

Funding for the Advisory Groups:

In order to support the Private Sector Advisory Groups at the National and State levels, limited but reasonable funds can be made available through the NPIU to support activities of the CIHEC and through the SPFUs to support activities of S‐PSAG.

The funds could be used for:  Members’ travel to attend the meetings held by the Advisory Groups, in accordance with the Government rules, Recurrent costs for meetings, and Other relevant costs as agreed to by the NSC, but members’ time in Advisory Groups will not be paid for.