Chandigarh (Balwinder Singh): The Haryana government has unveiled a comprehensive roadmap to transform its higher education system into a premier hub for innovation, research, and emerging technologies. Presiding over a review meeting concerning the state’s Vision 2047 strategy, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini approved the establishment of a 20-crore rupee ‘Haryana State Research Fund’. The newly approved fund will provide immediate financial assistance to 90 distinct research projects across 27 higher education institutions, focusing explicitly on addressing the state’s real-world developmental and ecological challenges.
During the high-level meeting at the civil secretariat, the Chief Minister emphasized that academic research must extend beyond laboratory testing and journal publications to directly benefit local farmers, industries, and communities. The 90 selected research projects will target critical regional themes such as agriculture, groundwater conservation, comprehensive water management, climate change, healthcare, industrial innovation, and inclusive education. To track academic progress, Saini reviewed the functioning of the newly launched ‘Neev’ portal, a data-driven system developed to provide live tracking of placements, patents, startups, and research outcomes across all state institutions. The Chief Minister also highlighted the successful fulfillment of the government’s promise to establish a women’s college within every 20-kilometre radius, significantly improving access to higher education for female students.
Further expanding on the state’s educational reforms, Haryana Education Minister Mahipal Dhanda stated that the administration aims to position the state as a national leader in employment-oriented education by 2047. As part of this push, the government plans to establish Model Sanskriti Colleges in every district alongside specialized autonomous Artificial Intelligence Digital Colleges to train youth in modern technologies. To encourage intellectual property creation, the state will offer full reimbursement of patent registration fees up to 50,000 rupees. Additionally, a separate 10 crore rupee ‘Higher Education Quality and Research Excellence Fund’ has been set up, complemented by a single-window digital platform designed to seamlessly connect students with internships, apprenticeships, and direct corporate placements.
