Initiated in 2012 by CII and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), the IndPact Survey is an objective source of information with the core being the industry – academia collaboration that exists.
The first survey in 2012 focused only on engineering institutes approved by AICTE. Major streams included mechanical, civil, electronics and communications, computer and IT, electrical and chemical. Only those institutes which had been established for 10 years or more were eligible to participate and they also had to be offering at least three out of six streams of engineering.
Year 2013 witnessed the expansion of scope to include four major streams of study, viz engineering, management, pharmacy and architecture/planning. Uni-stream engineering institutes were also allowed to participate, if they fulfilled the other conditions of basic criteria. A separate category was introduced for emerging institutes in the said fields of study.
In 2014, the scope of participation was further expanded to include a separate category of polytechnics as well as separate categories for self-financed and centrally funded institutes such as IITs, IIMs, NITs and IIITs. The broad disciplines remained the same four – engineering, management, pharmacy and architecture/planning.
Being an online survey, the first level of basic scores was calculated through algorithms set after extensive consultation and brainstorming with industry and academic experts. Over a period of three years the algorithms have been modified and refined to incorporate feedback from participants as well as take care of the requirements of the expansion in the scope of the survey. This year separate algorithms were set for degree and diploma granting institutes and the questionnaire was also modified on the parameter of “research and services, curriculum and faculty” for diploma institutes.
A detailed report of the survey was released on 20 November at the Knowledgexpo “Infinite Possibilities” organised by CII and the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion, Government of India between 20-21 November, 2014 at Greater Noida. .