The Annual Research Retreat at Jain (Deemed-to-be University) provides a wonderful platform for Research Scholars and Guides across disciplines to come together on a common platform. The Retreat was held on 17 and 18 November 2018 and more than 75 Guides and 250 Ph.D. students participated. The Retreat had several Plenary Sessions, Faculty Plenary Talks and Concurrent Sessions at which scholars presented progress of their research.
The Retreat was inaugurated by the President of the Jain (Deemed-to-be University) , Dr. Chenraj Roychand. He complimented the scholars for the quality work that they are involved and encouraged them to aim at higher levels of excellence and achievement. He highlighted some achievements and opined that these must be trend-setters and an inspiration for the future. Speaking on the occasion, the Chancellor of Jain (Deemed-to-be University) Dr. Krishnadas Nair, Dr Rejie from IIM, Bangalore appealed to the researchers to focus on product innovation and pursue research more from the angle of expanding the horizons of knowledge rather than merely securing a degree.
The three plenary speakers at the Retreat brought to the discussion a range of issues of critical significance. The first plenary speaker was Dr. Shailesh Naik, the Director of the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS). He focused on the ‘Blue Economy’ and the emerging importance of the sea. Drawing from varied examples, he highlighted how the ‘Blue Economy’ represented the world of tomorrow.
The second plenary session speaker was Dr. Anup Pujari, Chairman of the Karnataka Skill Development Authority and a distinguished civil servant. Focusing on Due Diligence in Research, the speaker kept the audience spell bound with his style of presentation and the range of examples he took.
The third and concluding Plenary was addressed by Dr. N V Varghese, the Vice Chancellor of NIEPA, Delhi. He spoke on Research on Higher Education and its Implication for Policy Making. From empirical evidence, Dr. Varghese demonstrated how one notices selectivity in terms of inputs that are used by policy makers when deciding education policy.
Apart from the three plenary sessions there were other faculty plenary sessions that included a Science Plenary led by Dr. Geetha Bali, a leading Biotechnology researcher and former Vice Chancellor of Karnataka State Women’s University. She highlighted the challenges in undertaking research in the domain of science. Dr. S Y Kulkarni, the Vice Chancellor of REVA University addressed the Engineering Plenary session and focused on contemporary trends in Engineering Research. Reflecting on his personal experiences, Dr. Rejie George from IIM, spoke of the joys and challenges of undertaking research when addressing Management scholars. The last Faculty Plenary was in Social Sciences and Humanities addressed by Dr. Cheriyan Alexander a leading English Professor who spoke on the need for Interdisciplinarity in the study of Humanities.
Doctoral scholars presented the progress of their research work at more than twenty five concurrent sessions. They received feedback from experts and outlined their research road map for the next year. Doctoral supervisors and Alumni also lead a range of Breakout sessions where they reflected on important themes of general research interest.
