Jamia Millia Islamia Gets Approval From AICTE To Setup IDEA Lab

Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) has announced the sanctioning of an IDEA (Idea Development, Evaluation and Application) Lab by Scholarships and Grants Bureau (SAG) of All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).

The sanctioned IDEA Lab comes with a grant of ₹55 lakh, which will be utilized to establish a state-of-the-art IDEA Lab on the campus. The university has already received the approval of a grant of ₹18 lakh by two industries to help support the establishment of this lab. As a common facility embedded in JMI, IDEA Lab will facilitate students to “engage, explore, experience, express and excel,” in alignment with the aspirations outlined by the Hon’ble Prime Minister following the introduction of the National Education Policy 2020.

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The IDEA lab, which will remain available to students 24X7, aims to enhance their imagination and creativity while providing foundational training in essential 21st century skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, design thinking, collaboration, communication and lifelong learning, etc. The purpose of the IDEA lab is to provide all facilities under one roof for conversion of an idea into a prototype. The students and faculty will be encouraged to take up creative work and, in the process, get training on creative thinking, problem solving, collaboration, etc which the conventional labs are not able to deliver.

This lab will greatly enhance the visibility of the university among the stakeholders and significantly improve the employability of the students. The university will become part of the IDEA lab network to learn from other institutes in the network and collaborate with them.

The proposal of the IDEA lab was submitted in September, 2024 under the guidance of the Dean of Faculty of Engineering & Technology, Prof. Mini S. Thomas, and an online meeting / interaction was held with the AICTE Experts on September 19, 2024. The AICTE has launched this scheme for encouraging students for application of Science, Technologies, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fundamentals towards enhanced hands- on experience and learning by doing.

Prof. Mini S. Thomas, Dean of Faculty of Engineering & Technology, JMI said that we are grateful to SAG, AICTE, for their financial support and recognition of our university’s potential. The university will enjoy the benefits of mentoring, networking and monitoring. It will also have the privilege of registration on Indian Science Technology and Engineering Facilities Map (I-STEM), which allows institutions to share their facilities and in a reciprocal arrangement access those available in institutions registered on the portal [https://www.istem.gov.in]; also, JMI will have free access to software like COMSOL, MATLAB, LABVIEW etc.

As per the AICTE mandate, the IDEA lab will regularly organise FDP’s, skilling programs, bootcamps, ideation workshops, awareness workshops for industry, internships, professional skilling programs, school teachers’ awareness program, projects by school students, open day for school students. The IDEA lab is going to be a long-term intervention aiming to transform education in the university. It will align the activities of the institute with larger National goals, missions, initiatives and industrial requirements for serving the disadvantaged sections of the society.

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Prof. S. M. Muzakkir, Coordinator-AICTE-IDEA Lab said “We take this opportunity to express our heartfelt appreciation for the exemplary leadership and vision of the Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Mazhar Asif. His dedication to fostering a culture of innovation and excellence has been instrumental in driving JMI forward. The sanction of the IDEA Lab is a testament to his tireless efforts to promote innovation and research on the campus.”

He further said that the commitment of the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Mazhar Asif to taking our university to ever greater heights is truly inspiring, and we are confident that under his leadership, the university will continue to achieve new milestones and make a meaningful impact in the lives of students and the wider community.