Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements

Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements (ARIIA), introduced in 2019 for the first time under National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF),  is an initiative of Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), Govt. of India to systematically rank all major higher educational institutions and universities in India on indicators related to “Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development” amongst students and faculties.

ARIIA 2019 was released by Shri Ram Nath Kovind, President of India, on Monday 8 April 2019 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.

Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) has emerged as the ‘Top innovative Institution’ in the country in the maiden edition of the Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements, launched by the Innovation Cell of MHRD in 2018, bagging the Rank no: 1 in Government Institutions category.

Speaking on the occasion President said that it is critical that there be a significant Indian presence in global rankings of leading universities and higher educational institutions in the very near future. We live in the age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, amid a knowledge society and an innovation economy. We cannot realise our potential without the requisite education infrastructure – measured both by numbers and standards. That is why the keen sense with which institutions participate in the India Rankings mechanism should persist and be escalated to striving for and achieving rankings among the global best, and added,

“In our country, recent expansion in higher education has widened access and improved equity. Even so, quality remains a concern. While there are islands of excellence, both in the public and private sectors, overall standards are uneven. As India’s higher education infrastructure continues to grow, and as enrolment rises, it is important to lift the bar. A nuanced approach is essential to ensure that higher education not only fulfils individual aspirations, but also achieves national goals and priorities.”

• ARIIA endeavours to systematically rank education institutions and universities primarily on innovation related indicators.
• Innovation is the buzzword across the globe for the 21^st
• Innovation could be defined as converting ideas into new or improved products, processes and services.
• Innovation is about taking inventions to marketplace by translating scientific knowledge into products, services and offerings for economic growth and social development.
• Prime Minister of India has declared decade 2010-20 as the ‘Decade of Innovation’, to unleash the creative potential of every Indian.
• Innovation ranking of India on Global stage has already been improving, as India is now placed at 57^th place this year, whereas, it was at 86^th place 5 years ago.
• For India to emerge as a global innovation hub, the youth of our country, especially in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) need to play a crucial role to create a sustainable innovation ecosystem.
• Hence, ideally all HEIs should have a comprehensive and functional mechanism to convert research into innovations.
• This ecosystem will encourage, inspire and nurture young students by exposing them to new ideas and processes resulting in innovative activities in their formative years.
• ARIIA aims to inspire Indian institutions to reorient their mind-set and build ecosystems to encourage high quality research, innovation and entrepreneurship.
• ARIIA focuses on quality of innovations and endeavours to measure the real impact created by these innovations nationally and internationally.
• Major Indicators for consideration for ARIIA are:
  • Budget & Funding Support.
  • Infrastructure & Facilities.
  • Awareness, Promotions & support for Idea Generation & Innovation.
  • Promotion & Support for Entrepreneurship Development.
  • Innovative Learning Methods & Courses.
  • Intellectual Property Generation, Technology Transfer & Commercialization.
  • Innovation in Governance of the Institution.
• ARIIA will set tone and direction for institutions for future development for making them globally competitive and in forefront of innovation.