Universities are under pressure to prepare students for an AI-shaped world, strengthen research and invest in emerging technologies, while keeping education accessible and institutions financially sustainable. But these priorities compete for resources, and research investments may take years to deliver results. Questions around academic autonomy, faculty evaluation and the social impact of research add to the challenge.
In a conversation with ETEducation, Dr Maneesha Vinodini Ramesh, Pro Vice-Chancellor of Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, discusses the decisions facing university leaders over the next five to ten years. She argues that higher education must prepare students for more than employment and examines how institutions should approach technology, research funding, governance and changing expectations of faculty.
Q. Looking ahead over the next five to ten years, what do you believe will be the biggest challenges facing Indian higher education?
Dr Maneesha Vinodini Ramesh: One challenge is to rethink what education is meant to achieve. We often look at education primarily through the lens of employment and the skills students need to get jobs. Those are important, but education must also prepare students for life.
Students need to think independently, deal with uncertainty and adapt to changing circumstances. With growing dependence on devices and technology, we must ensure that independent and creative thinking do not suffer.
Artificial intelligence will further change jobs and skill requirements. Students and faculty members will need to keep learning and reskilling, while universities prepare young people for roles that may not yet be clearly defined.
Education must also help students understand society and other people’s experiences. Preparing them to navigate uncertainty and contribute meaningfully to the world is as important as preparing them for employment.
Q. How can universities balance institutional growth and financial sustainability with the need to invest in research and emerging technologies?
Dr Maneesha Vinodini Ramesh: Universities have to invest in infrastructure, technology and research while maintaining quality and affordability. These priorities require careful decisions because institutions cannot do everything at once.
Institutional growth also depends on the people working within the university. Faculty members need the resources and academic freedom to pursue meaningful work. If researchers lack access to laboratories, funding or the freedom to explore ideas, they may look for opportunities elsewhere.
Governance is therefore important. Decentralised decision-making can allow people closer to academic and research work to respond to challenges, experiment and develop ideas. But autonomy must come with responsibility and a clear institutional direction.
Emerging areas such as artificial intelligence, high-performance computing and semiconductors can require substantial investment. Institutions need to assess where they should build their own capabilities and where collaboration would be more effective.
No university can invest in everything. Leaders must distinguish between immediate needs and investments that build capabilities for the future. Research may not produce immediate financial returns, but institutions need to understand why an investment is necessary, what capability it is expected to create and how progress will be assessed.
These decisions require a long-term vision and collective leadership. The challenge is to make choices that strengthen the institution without committing resources without clear priorities or accountability.
Q. Which areas will be important for universities as they plan their future research and academic priorities?
Dr Maneesha Vinodini Ramesh: Many of the challenges facing society are interconnected and cannot be addressed by one discipline alone. Health, for instance, is linked with food security, the environment and community well-being. Technology also needs to be considered alongside sustainability and its effect on people’s lives.
Universities need to develop research capabilities that bring different disciplines together. This requires investment in infrastructure, faculty and doctoral research, as well as collaboration with industry and international institutions.
The question is not simply which subjects are emerging, but whether institutions can build the capabilities needed to work on complex problems. They must also decide where to develop expertise internally and where partnerships can help them move faster.
Research should not be measured only by the number of projects undertaken or publications produced. Universities must also consider whether their work addresses meaningful problems and contributes to outcomes beyond the institution.
Q. Which areas of higher education will AI transform most significantly over the next five years?
Dr Maneesha Vinodini Ramesh: AI will affect curriculum design, assessment, faculty productivity, administration, research and student services. One of its most important effects will be on teaching and learning.
When information is readily available, a teacher’s role cannot remain limited to transmitting knowledge. Faculty members will increasingly need to help students interpret information, think critically, apply what they learn and engage with complex problems.
This means rethinking how learning is designed. Students need opportunities to question, collaborate and develop a deeper understanding of subjects. AI can support this process, but it should not replace the intellectual engagement and guidance that education requires.
Research will also change. AI can help researchers process information and explore problems, but original research still requires creativity and critical judgement. Using AI to reproduce existing material is not the same as generating new knowledge.
Universities will need to reconsider how teaching and research are conducted, as well as how faculty contributions are evaluated. The challenge is to use AI to strengthen learning and research rather than simply introduce the technology into existing systems.
Q. What are India’s biggest opportunities and barriers in becoming a global higher education destination?
Dr Maneesha Vinodini Ramesh: India has an opportunity to build on its talent, research capabilities and ability to work across disciplines. Challenges in areas such as health, sustainability and technology require multidisciplinary approaches, and universities can contribute by strengthening research and international collaboration.
However, governance and institutional flexibility remain important. Universities need the freedom to collaborate, respond to emerging fields and make decisions that support their academic and research ambitions. Industry-academia partnerships must also go beyond formal agreements to support deeper engagement and research.
Infrastructure and regulatory complexity can affect how quickly institutions develop new capabilities. We also need to consider how universities are evaluated. Greater emphasis on performance and demonstrated capabilities could help create an environment in which institutions focus on strengthening research and academic quality.
India’s global ambitions will depend not only on attracting students, but also on creating the conditions for universities to produce knowledge, develop talent and participate in international research.
Q. Should universities rethink how they evaluate faculty performance and research impact?
Dr Maneesha Vinodini Ramesh: Faculty evaluation needs to recognise the different ways academic work contributes to a university and to society. If assessment focuses mainly on projects and publications, it may not fully capture the impact of research.
Universities should consider not only what researchers produce, but also what their work contributes. Research can address community challenges, improve livelihoods or inform solutions to wider societal problems. These contributions deserve attention alongside academic quality.
This does not mean moving away from publications or conventional measures of research excellence. It means developing a broader understanding of performance, so that work with meaningful social outcomes is not overlooked.
The challenge is to assess impact in a credible way without creating another box-ticking exercise. Universities need evaluation systems that recognise academic rigour while also asking whether research is making a difference beyond the institution.
Q. Looking ten years ahead, what should define a university’s institutional legacy?
Dr Maneesha Vinodini Ramesh: Universities need to remain focused on research and education that contribute to society. Institutional growth should not be measured only through expansion or conventional academic indicators. We must also ask whether our work is improving lives, addressing important challenges and contributing to a more sustainable future.
This requires structures that enable people to contribute meaningfully. Decentralised decision-making and collaboration across disciplines can help faculty members and researchers take ownership of their work and develop solutions.
Engagement with communities is also important. When students and researchers work closely with people and understand their circumstances, they can identify problems that may not be visible from within an institution alone.
Ultimately, a university’s legacy should be reflected in the knowledge it creates, the people it develops and the contribution it makes to society. Academic excellence matters, but so does how that knowledge is used to address real problems.
