The 40th convocation of Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research on Oct 15 witnessed 78 gold medals bestowed on meritorious students in presence of chief guest, Sridhar Vembu, Chief Scientist, Zoho Corporation Pvt. Ltd.
The Chancellor Mr. V.R. Venkataachalam conferred the degrees on 1871 graduands who have successfully finished their Ph.D., PG and UG programs in medical, engineering and management sciences this year. The Chancellor and the Pro Chancellor Mr. R.V. Sengutuvan distributed the certificates.
While presenting the annual report, the Vice Chancellor Dr. Uma Sekar said that during the academic year 2024-25, more than 9542 students were enrolled across 15 constituent faculties including 44 international, NRI students and PhD scholars.
The MoUs to facilitate research, faculty and student exchanges, dual degree programmes have been signed with St. John Fisher University in Rochester, the University of Saskatchewan in Canada, the University of Cyberjaya in Malaysia and the University of Nizwa in Oman, the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants; Xavier Labor Relations Institute (XLRI), Jamshedpur; the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research Central Drug Research Institute, New Delhi; and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune.
She also added that currently 68 extramurally funded projects are underway with cumulative grant value of Rs.58 crores supported by agencies such as DST, ICMR, ICSSR, DHR, the Gates Foundation, Welcome Trust, NIHR-UK and the US NIH.
Delivering his convocation address, Sridhar Vembu emphasised the importance of self-reliance for India. He stated that Zoho was founded on the principle of self-reliance. While the technologies we use are often designed by us, they are frequently controlled by other countries that fund them. To achieve true self-reliance, India must develop its own technologies and hold the intellectual property rights to them. “If we want to improve our country, it is in the hands of the youngsters who possess the capabilities to bring about change,” he said. He further mentioned that Zoho plans to invest in biomedical technologies in the future and highlighted that software, software technologies, and medical technology sectors are poised for significant growth.
UGC Nominee Dr. K. R. Ramesh, Dean, Medical College Dr. K. Balaji Singh, Registrar Dr. S. Senthil Kumar, Controller of Examinations Dr. R. Padmavathi, Director, Finance & Accounts Mr. J. Ravisankar and other Heads of Departments were among those who participated in the event.
