Srinagar: Newly appointed Dean of Research at Kashmir University (KU) Prof Shakil Romshoo has claimed that research work at the varsity is poised for a great leap forward as the varsity has been assessed to be eligible for many research grants.

In a letter addressed to research scholars at KU, Prof Romshoo has written that KU has over the years built well-equipped laboratories and observatories “at par with any other lab of national standard”.

Prof Romshoo however acknowledged at the same time that some scientific domains require very sophisticated and expensive equipment, which requires collaboration with institutes that have such facilities. He mentioned that KU is indeed collaborating with national and international institutes on identified research objectives.

As per Prof Romshoo, the KU administration is “strengthening the existing infrastructure and looking for more collaboration the world over to support your research”.

“With the recent recognition of the university through various evaluation instruments like NAAC, NIRF, BRICS, etc, we have qualified for receiving handsome research grants for improving our research infrastructure and promoting innovations and cutting-edge research in the university,” Prof Romshoo wrote in his letter.

Prof Romshoo wrote that KU was a unique university in the region as it does research across most of the academic disciplines.

To improve the research skills of the scholars, Prof Romshoo said that the varsity shall “rigorously support and fund trainings and capacity building programme” of doctoral students in research methodology and instrumentation within the university and also outside through various platforms.

He said the varsity shall continue to “strategise and act to reduce the extra burden in whatever way possible by improving the research administration in the university without compromising on the basic obligations and ethics of the research scholars.”

Prof Romshoo informed that more than 2,000 research scholars were currently involved in disciplinary and inter-disciplinary academic and sponsored research across academic fields at KU.

Irshad Khan