Osmania to go international

Osmania University, the seventh oldest university in the country, is planning to go international.

According to Mohd Suleman Siddiqui, vice-chancellor, Osmania University, "We are looking at taking our distance education programmes to Jeddah, Qatar and Dubai. However, we are awaiting the necessary approvals from the government in this regard."

"To initiate university and industry interaction, we are also looking at setting up a university-industry hub at our campus. We have already identified 10 acres of land for this purpose and intend to focus on areas like information and communication technology, biotechnology and pharma besides corporate hospitals and health care. The project will involve an investment of Rs 9 crore," Siddiqui said.

The varsity intends to launch 6-8 new courses in July this year based on the industry needs.

The university is also setting up a Central Facility Building that will house the competitive examinations cell, lab for English language training programme, computer lab, conference room and an auditorium.

"The building is likely to be up and running in the next 12-14 months," he said, adding that a Science Technology Park within the campus is also on the cards. Siddiqui, however, declined to divulge further information in this regard.