The Hindu Business Line : Hyderabad varsity plans research lab clusters

The University of Hyderabad here may evolve into a major player in the research-led universities across the world by 2010 and offer tough competition to the leading global universities if it has its way.

The University has drawn a blueprint that involves setting up of clusters of research centres such as International Institute of Life Sciences, National Institute of Animal Biotechnology, C.R. Rao Institute of Mathematics, Statistics and Computing Sciences, Centre for Nanotechnology, Innovation and Knowledge Hub, Advanced Centre for Research in Heavy Energy Material (ACRHEM) and Hyderabad School of Economics, among others.

Surging ahead

Having bagged the bid for hosting the prestigious International Mathematics Congress at Hyderabad in 2010, the University has also taken up steps to substantially augment its research, teaching and residential infrastructure.

It has embarked upon a significant move to turn its entire 2,300 acres of campus on 34mbps wi-fi connectivity, thereby becoming the first largest manmade institute to have such facility in the world, the University Vice-Chancellor, Dr Seyeed E. Hasnain, said.

Addressing newspersons here on Friday, he said the varsity is spending around Rs 38 crore on infrastructure during the current academic year. Further, it has sought a budget allocation of Rs 140 crore towards infrastructure for the next academic year from the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development.

The varsity proposes to transform its existing Economics department into Hyderabad School of Economics on the lines of Delhi School of Economics and London School of Economics. The new school would focus on world-class education and research activities in Economics with special focus on areas such as Micro-finance, Actuarial Sciences, New Accounting Procedures and Islamic Banking among others, he said.

Bio-tech centre

According to Dr Hasnain, the Union Ministry of Finance has recently approved in principle the proposal to set up the National Institute of Animal Biotechnology in the campus at an outlay of Rs 250 crore. Works for the project, taken up with the Department of Biotechnology, would be taken up shortly.

The International Institute of Life Sciences, taken up in association with the Government of Andhra Pradesh and Dr Reddy's Laboratories Ltd, for research in pharma and life sciences, is set to take off before the current fiscal.

Leads in cancer treatment

The scientists at the university's Life Sciences School have recently come up with interesting leads in the form of a medicinal plant extract to effectively combat cancer, the University Vice-Chancellor, Dr Seyeed E. Hasnain, said. The natural product not only aims at preventing chemotherapy in cancer patients but also significantly enhances anti-oxidant levels in the body.

"We have successfully completed animal trials in rats and have found promising results. The scientists' team is now going to take up human trials on the product shortly," Dr Hasnain said.

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