As Prof. Jalote thought about the possibilities of creating one of the finest research institutes in India, his vision was very clear- to build an institute that is socially relevant, industry facing and globally connected.

For decades, the Higher Education system in India has focused primarily on educating the students rather than research-oriented learning. However, today, higher education is no longer just a means of getting a degree and a respectable job. There is a dire shift towards building an indigenous research culture to address the imperative problems of our society. Apart from this, the emanating importance of global university rankings has increased the interest of policymakers in research universities and led to transformation of some of the Indian universities to globally competitive research universities.

After serving for almost a decade as the Director of IIIT-Delhi, Prof. Jalote’s term ended in 2018 giving him a chance to focus on writing a book on research universities in India from his personal experiences. It took him almost 2 years to pen down his unique journey of building a research university from scratch to one of the most reputed institutes for education and research not just in India but around the world. And believe us, his book “Building Research Universities in India” was worth all the wait!!

Currently there are not many books available on Indian Higher Education that talk about research universities. Prof. Jalote’s book fills this gap in the higher education literature about India and is the first book that focuses on building research universities in India. It provides a comprehensive and holistic view of a research university and discusses the key dimensions of such a university, including education, research, PhD programme, faculty management, governance, financing and third mission. He believes that covering all the major aspects about a research university in one book will be useful to the academicians, academic leaders, policymakers, and those who are involved in developing a university in India.

The book talks briefly about the Indian Higher Education system with primary emphasis on research universities, their relevance, missions, importance of establishing a strong PhD Programme, requirement of a strong governance by the university focusing on its needs, and the road ahead for Higher Education System in India supporting such universities. It has been published by ‘SAGE Publishing’, a leading international provider of innovative, high-quality content and was released on November 12, 2020. It was officially launched through a grand digital launch event held on November 24, 2020. Many dignitaries from academia and esteemed policymakers were the part of this event where Prof. Jalote talked about his book in detail and had a one-to-one conversation with some of the participants who were enthusiastic to learn more about the book.

The book has been appreciated by many luminaries from academia as well as industry. Mr. N.R Narayana Murthy (Founder, Infosys) quoted “A nation is as strong as its higher education and research institutions. Professor Jalote has created one such institution and nurtured it carefully for over a decade to make it a widely respected research institution in the world. This book is a winning recipe for how to create a globally respected research institution in any country. A must-read for everyone interested in higher education and research.”

Prof. Jalote hopes that his book can be of use to all those who are interested in creating or nurturing research universities not just in India but also to the people in the developing countries having evolving higher education systems.

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Note: All royalties from the book will go to IIIT-Delhi