Accolades for academy
UICT is the only academic institute in the country to receive the RBNQA. Chandragupta Amritkar pays a visit to this unique institute.

There are institutes and then there are institutes, but very few are able to reach and sustain the top slots internationally. One such institute is the Mumbai University Institute of Chemical Technology (UICT), formerly known as UDCT. It enjoys a unique and prominent place amongst the premier institutes that are engaged in education, training and research in the field of chemical engineering, chemical technology and pharmacy.

"To rank an institute, globally there are few parameters. The first one is number of research papers published in India and abroad. Here, we have been ranked number one worldwide right from 1964 in our field. From 1998 to 2002, we were cited in 543 publications. The nearest Indian institute is IIT Mumbai, which has 143 publications to its credit. The other criterion is the number of PhDs. Here again, we bring out 40 PhDs against 400 PhDs being brought out by all engineering and technology institutes in India. We have an excellent industry relationship and are currently working on 90 industry projects of which seven are from abroad. While the government grants us Rs 4.5 crore, we are able to generate Rs 7 crore," said Dr J B Joshi, Director UICT.

UICT offers graduate degree courses in chemical engineering (B. Chem. Eng.), B. Tech in chemical technology (dyes, textiles, food, oils, pharmaceuticals, paints and polymers) and B. Pharm (Sc.). Masters and doctorate courses are offered in all these and a few more branches. In addition, inter-disciplinary courses are introduced from time to time to cater to the needs of the industry. M. R. (Plastic Engg), M. Tech in Perfumes and Flavour, Bioprocess Technology and Plastic Processing. The most recent one is the certificate course in chemical technology management.

UICT produces 'complete professionals' as the main product along with technologies, reports/ thesis/ publications as other products. The primary raw material is students. The processing involves teaching, laboratory training and personality development, etc. In order to maintain highest quality, several quality measures are taken. Having the best quality raw material is very essential and this is ensured by way of job assurance, hostel facilities, counseling, exhibition, media publication, image building project, website, etc.

Quality of processing is strongly dependant on that of high-value teaching system. A UICT teacher plays multifarious roles as researcher, group leader, decision-maker in industry, adviser to policymakers, manager and himself - a complete professional. Further, a notable feature is that more than 200 merit-cum-means scholarships are instituted by the alumni and well-wishers of the UICT so that not a single student is forced to discontinue education for want of resources.

The goal is to achieve the perfect symbiosis of academic excellence and industrial relevance, to educate students with core knowledge of technology, to give each student indepth knowledge in one or more technology areas and to develop leaders in this field, to instill an understanding of professional responsibilities, including ethics, and the need for life-long self-learning.

A remarkable feature of UICT is that the university Grants Commission (UGC), under its special Assistance Programme (SAP), has recognized every department of the UICT.

UICT received the coveted Ramkrishna Bajaj National Quality Award under service category for the year 2002. "But I glowed with pride when I noticed that along with us the award for large scale was bagged by Reliance Industries, Hazira plant and in small-scale sector, the certificate of merit was given to M/s Chemical Process Equipment (pvt) Ltd. The CMDs of both the companies, Mukesh Ambani and B S A Mashelkar received the Juran medal for the year 2002 and Dr Mashelkar is also a UICT alumnus," said a beaming Dr J B Joshi. Yes, in a nutshell, he did show why UICT is the best.

What makes UICT so different ?

• Academic excellence New courses
• Updated with new technology
• Use of computers and teaching aids.
• Exclusive courses which are not offered elsewhere in the country
• Huge number of research papers published in India and abroad
• Excellent library with publications from all over the world