30 September 2025, New Delhi
The IARI Alumni Association (IAA), in collaboration with the ICAR–Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, organized a two-day National Seminar on ‘IARI Towards a World-Class Higher Education Institution’ today at NASC Complex, New Delhi.
The seminar brought together around 100 eminent scientists, policymakers, academicians, industry leaders, and young researchers to deliberate on a comprehensive roadmap for positioning IARI as a globally recognized institution of higher learning, research, and innovation.
The deliberations focused on strengthening IARI’s higher education ecosystem, aligning with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, and evolving IARI into a Multidisciplinary Education and Research University (MERU).
Prominent speakers, including Dr. M. L. Jat, Secretary (DARE) & Director General (ICAR), Dr. R. S. Paroda, President, IAA, Dr. Ch. Srinivasa Rao, Chief Patron, IAA and Director, ICAR-IARI), Prof. Kadambot Siddique, Director, Institute of Agriculture, University of Western Australia, Dr. R. S. Kanwar, Former Vice-Chancellor, LPU, Phagwara, and Dr. K. Maredia, Director, International Programs, Michigan State University), emphasized that innovation, entrepreneurship, and global collaboration are pivotal to elevating IARI’s international stature.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Jat highlighted the importance of holistic and multidisciplinary approaches in education and research, urging IARI to define its unique capability statement and value proposition to serve as a model for other agricultural universities.
Dr. Paroda underscored IARI’s legacy as a pioneering land-grant institution, integrating teaching, research, and extension. He called for revamping academic courses, enhancing educational quality, implementing the Model Act, and forging global collaborations to place IARI among the world’s top 100 universities.
Dr. Rao presented IARI’s major achievements and proposed a roadmap for developing world-class infrastructure and capacity-building initiatives for scientists and students to boost the institute’s global standing.
Dr. Anupama Singh, Patron, IAA and Joint Director (Education), ICAR-IARI, shared a detailed SWOT analysis and strategic roadmap for transforming the institute into a research-intensive higher education institution within a defined timeframe.
Sharing international perspectives, Prof. Kadambot Siddique elaborated on the University of Western Australia’s journey to global recognition, offering a five-year roadmap tailored to IARI’s aspirations.
The seminar’s key recommendations included:
• Developing state-of-the-art infrastructure to support advanced teaching, research, and innovation.
• Revising curricula to promote flexible and interdisciplinary programs.
• Establishing international partnerships for joint research, academic exchange, and collaborative programs.
• Strengthening industry–academia linkages for research translation and commercialization.
• Introducing incentive mechanisms to recognize excellence among faculty and researchers.
• Implementing capacity-building programs to nurture future-ready academic and scientific leadership.
The event was graced by several dignitaries, including Dr. R. B. Singh (Former Director, ICAR–IARI), Dr. Sanjay Kumar (Chairman, ASRB), Dr. P. K. Khosla (Chancellor, Shoolini University, Solan), Dr. R. C. Agrawal (Former DDG, Education, ICAR), Dr. S. L. Mehta (Former Vice-Chancellor, MPUAT), Dr. Anupam Varma (Adjunct Professor, IARI), Dr. Ashok Kumar Singh (Former Director, IARI), Dr. Anil Kumar Singh (Secretary, IAA), Prof. Manoj Kumar Dhar (Director, AcSIR), Dr. A. S. Yadav (ADG, Education Division, ICAR), Dr. C. Viswanathan (Joint Director, Research, IARI), Mr. Avichal Raj Kapur (Joint Secretary, UGC), Mr. Hemendra Mathur (Co-founder, YLink-Ag), Dr. S. Baskar Reddy (Senior Adviser, Syngenta), Dr. Neena Mitter (Deputy Vice-Chancellor – Global Research, Charles Sturt University, Australia), Prof. U. P. Singh (Director, IAS, BHU, Varanasi), and Dr. P. Malik (Agrinnovate India Ltd., ICAR).
A Youth Forum and an Essay Competition were also organized to engage young faculty and students in envisioning IARI’s future trajectory and fostering a sense of institutional ownership.
The seminar concluded with a shared commitment among stakeholders to strengthen ICAR-IARI’s academic excellence, global visibility, and innovation ecosystem, reaffirming its role as a premier institution driving agricultural education and research excellence in India and beyond.
(Source: ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi)
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