Chandigarh: Calling upon researchers and innovators of Panjab University, Vice President C P Radhakrishnan on Friday stressed that research should solve real problems and make an impact on society.
Radhakrishnan visited PU here and inaugurated the upgraded advanced instrumentation facility at the Sophisticated Analytical Instrumentation Facility/Central Instrumentation Laboratory (SAIF/CIL).
He also inaugurated the PU Technology Innovation Forum (PU TIF), formerly BioNEST, which provides an integrated platform for pre-incubation, incubation and post-incubation.
While referring to the inauguration of the advanced instrumentation facility, the vice president asserted that any research should make an impact on society.
“Whatever research we do, unless the research makes an impact on society, the success of the result will be within the four compounds of our university only. We should do research in the right direction so that our research findings should help the entire society,” he said.
Sharing his thoughts for researchers and innovators, the vice president said science must always remain connected with purpose.
“We should not use technology merely to generate more data. We should use science and technology to ask relevant questions and solve real problems facing society,” he said.
“Don’t be disheartened by failure. The first thing we have to learn in research is that we should fail. We should fail so that we know where we went wrong. We should fail so that our mental strength goes up,” he noted.
He stressed that innovations should be inclusive.
“Our solutions must be scalable and affordable. They must address the real needs and respond to the demands of society and the industry, so our research should always be well focused,” he said.
He said that as we move towards the goal of a ‘Viksit Bharat’ and ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’, our research must increasingly focus on national priorities.
The vice president also asked students to stay away from drugs.
“Dear students, I have a request for you. Your health, your future, and your dreams are precious, so always say no to drugs. Wherever I am going, I insist on this.
We should always say no to drugs. I urge you all to stay away from substance abuse and build a ‘nasha mukt Bharat’. Especially, I have to make it here because we have a border with other foreign countries. They want to ruin us. We should not give them space,” he said.
He also asked young researchers to remain resilient in the face of failures.
“Mental strength is the best strength. First, failure is a part of our life. I also failed many times, not because of my effort alone, but because of somebody’s effort also.
The backstabbing will be there everywhere. You ask Manish Tewari ji how many backstabs he has taken in his career. Everybody, those who are sitting on the dais, including me, has to face the backstabs,” he said.
The vice-president also addressed campus safety, stating that following the unfortunate death of a PhD student, he had immediately directed the University authorities to undertake a comprehensive safety audit of the entire campus.
He said an internal committee has been constituted to review the existing infrastructure and submit a detailed report, and stressed that the safety and well-being of students and staff must remain the University’s highest priority.
In July, a PhD scholar of the Department of Microbiology died after she was allegedly electrocuted on the PU campus.
He further said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India’s higher education and scientific research ecosystem has undergone a transformative change.
He observed that India is increasingly emerging as a global destination for quality education, research and innovation.
Describing the day’s inaugurations as two important milestones, Radhakrishnan said the installation of five advanced scientific instruments– Atomic Force Microscope, Raman Spectrometer, DNA Sequencer, Flow Cytometer and FTIR Spectrometer–would significantly strengthen the University’s research capabilities in fields including nanotechnology, materials science, environmental science and genomics.
He emphasised that innovation thrives when academia, industry, incubators and investors work together.
It was the vice president’s maiden visit to the PU as chancellor of the university.
On this occasion, Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria, Haryana Governor Ashim Kumar Ghosh and Chandigarh MP Manish Tewari were also present.
The vice president further said the PU has a rich legacy and it produced prime minister, ministers, judges, governors, MPs, sportspersons, scientists and economists.
He also praised the university for securing the 35th position in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), saying its next goal should be to enter the top 100 universities globally.
Radhakrishnan said the PU is a 143-year-old university. “That is the great legacy. We want to maintain this legacy,” he said.
He said the Partition had taken away a good chunk of Panjab University to Pakistan.
“By making this university a world-class university, the pride of Punjab and the pride of the nation will be re-established. This university has to become a world-class university,” he said.
