Karnataka engineering students score high on grants

Engineering students in Karnataka are among the most innovative in the country. According to the Institution of Engineers (India), of the 650 grants approved by the organisation for funding student projects this year, at least  84 were for universities across Karnataka.

“Every year, we fund student projects in order to promote innovation and for the calendar year 2010-2011, Karnataka is one of the states leading the pack,” said Dr U Chandrashekar, chairman, Institution of Engineers, R&D department.
Only Tamil Nadu, with close to 120 approved grants, stood ahead of Karnataka.

Chandrashekar said most of the grant requests came from students pursuing mechanical and electronic engineering.
“All the students have to do is apply for grants through our website, outlining the aim of the project. The grants are usually between Rs25,000 and Rs1.5 lakh, depending on the nature of the project. We provide financial assistance to promote innovation,” he said.

The grant, which was instituted in 2001, aims to bridge the gap between the education imparted by universities and colleges and the industry’s requirements.

“Of every 100 engineering students graduating every year, only four to five students have the soft skills and the domain knowledge that the industry requires. There is a lack of preparedness. Executing such projects not only boosts the confidence level of students but also improves their knowledge of the subject. They become engineers with a better understanding of their own subject matter because it comes from experience and not just through books,” he said.

The future looks bright for engineering students in Karnataka, he said.

“We will be able to fund more projects next year as we are expecting more funds. We recently signed an MoU with Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU), wherein VTU pledged to sponsor 10 projects applied for by the students from VTU. They will be sponsoring about to `5 lakh,” he said.