President Ram Nath Kovind, in his capacity as the visitor of Central Universities, on Wednesday hosted a day-long meet of vice-chancellors of 41 Central Universities, and said varsities should incorporate community-oriented initiatives in their academic programmes.

He told vice-chancellors that the universities in backward regions have a special responsibility of working with communities around them. Such community initiatives will further expand the horizon of the students and prepare them well for life ahead, he said.

The President said that universities should play a leading role in addressing the specific challenges faced by the nation. “Many of these challenges require creative and innovative solutions. It is their paramount duty to ensure that their campuses emerge as spaces that nurture free expression and ideas, where experimentation is encouraged and failure is not ridiculed but is seen as learning,” the President said.

He said the universities should work as conduits for exposing students to the problems faced by the people. “Through such exposure coupled with a push towards creative and innovative thinking, universities can prepare its students to take up research and innovation projects contributing to national development,” he said.

Inaugurating the meet, the President presented the Visitor’s Awards for Research in the field of Basic and Applied Science and in the field of Humanities, Arts and Social Science. The awardees included Prof. Sanjay K Jain for his work on the development of a drug delivery system having the potential to make cancer treatment more effective and affordable.

Prof Ashis Kumar Mukherjee was awarded for his research on the molecular complexicity of snake venom; Prof. Ashwani Pareek for his work on the development of a rice variety having the potential to enhance farm productivity and income of farmers; and Prof Pramod K. Nayar for his work in the field of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences.

The President said that research and innovation can play an important role in lifting “our people out of poverty, ensuring their health and well-being or attaining food and energy security. Researchers and innovators can help develop solutions to the problems we experience on a daily basis.

“Research is not a nine to five job and thus our approach towards supporting and promoting research culture cannot be a pedantic one,” he said.