The University Grants Commission on Tuesday announced the beginning of a 90-day application process for universities — public and private — to seek the status of institutions of eminence, which will provide them freedom from the regular regulatory mechanisms.

Twenty institutions — 10 public and 10 private — will be given this status with the aim to give them freedom to become world-class institutions.

Global rankings

The 10 state-run institutions will have an additional benefit — provision of Rs. 10,000 crore over a period of 10 years, over and above the regular grants. The aim of the scheme is to help institutions break into the top 500 global rankings in 10 years, and then break into the top 100 over time.

By March-April 2018, the chosen institutions will be accorded the status of “Institutions of Eminence” with a mandate to achieve world-class status over 10 years.

“The institutions which can apply are divided into three categories — existing government educational institutions, existing private higher educational institutions and sponsoring organisation for setting up of private institutions,” Kewal Kumar Sharma, Secretary (Higher Education), told reporters.

Institutions in the top 50 of the National Institute Ranking Framework rankings or those who have secured ranking among top 500 of the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, QS University Rankings or Shanghai Ranking Academic Ranking of World Universities are eligible to apply. “The mission is to set up universities with all-India character and with international standards. For a large country like India the possibility of providing globally recognised best education is what we are trying to create,” said Mr. Sharma.

The HRD Ministry will set up an empowered expert committee to process the applications.

(With PTI inputs)