Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) has bagged the Chancellor’s Award and Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (KVASU) has won the award for the Best Emerging Young University for 2016-17.
The Raj Bhavan made the formal announcement of the awards here on Tuesday evening after Governor P. Sathasivam accepted the recommendation of the selection committee to confer the two awards on Cusat and KVASU. While the Cusat secured a score of 499.51 out of 750 marks, the KVASU came on top with a score of 374.74.
The Cusat will get a cash prize of ₹5 crore and the KVASU will get a cash component of ₹1 crore.
The selection under both the categories was based on the universities’ performance in broad components such as academics, teaching and pedagogy methods, students’ profile and achievements, academic governance, and other achievements.
The period of assessment for both the awards was from July 1, 2016, to June 30, 2017. Universities that have been in existence for less than 12 years were considered under the category of emerging young universities.
Twelve out of 13 universities in the State had submitted applications online for the awards. Kerala Kalamandalam Deemed University for Art & Culture did not participate in the contest. Of those who had submitted applications, the Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean studies (KUFOS), Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (KVASU), Thunchath Ezhuthachan Malayalam University, Kerala University of Health Sciences (KUHS), and A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technological University were considered for the emerging young university award.
An inspection team had visited all the 12 universities to verify the claims made in the application forms.
The selection committee had Principal Secretary (Higher Education) Usha Titus as its chairperson. Kerala State Council of Science, Technology, and Environment (KSCSTE) executive director Suresh Das, Indian Institute of Management-Kozhikode (IIM-K) director in-charge Kulbhushan Balooni, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) director V. Ramakrishnan, National University of Advanced Legal Studies (NUALS) Vice Chancellor Rose Varghese as its members and Davendra Kumar Dhodawat, secretary to Governor, as its convener.
