Maharashtra’s CM-SRISTHI scheme to promote foreign university partnerships and AI research

Maharashtra plans to facilitate partnerships between state public universities and leading international institutions, with proposals for foreign university campuses, joint and dual degree programs, collaborative research, and student and faculty exchanges under a new five-year higher education initiative.

The framework is part of the CM-SRISTHI (Scheme for Research, Innovations and Technological Hubs in Higher Education Institutions), which received state cabinet approval and was notified by the Higher and Technical Education Department on Oct 6.

The scheme will operate from the 2026-27 academic year through 2030-31. Its coverage includes state public universities, the Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT), Mumbai, COEP Technological University in Pune, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Technological University in Lonere, and government-run higher and technical education institutions and polytechnics.

Under the initiative, the state aims to attract highly ranked international universities, particularly institutions featured among the leading entries in the QS World University Rankings, along with global research organizations working in emerging technology and research fields.

Proposed partnerships could include joint and dual degree programs, collaborative research projects, exchanges for students and faculty, access to shared research infrastructure, and other international academic initiatives.

The state government will provide financial support for the infrastructure and research facilities required to establish these collaborations.

However, projects will follow a viability-gap funding model, under which foreign university partners or public-private partnerships are expected to contribute a substantial share of the investment.

The arrangement is intended to support the development of international academic collaborations while requiring participating partners to share the financial responsibility.

Institutions seeking support under CM-SRISTHI will have to meet specified accreditation, ranking and academic requirements.

Existing government institutions that are more than six years old must hold NAAC A+ accreditation or an equivalent qualification. Colleges must also rank among the top 200 institutions in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF).

Government engineering colleges seeking benefits under the scheme must have autonomous status. Participating institutions will also be required to comply with provisions concerning academic and administrative audits, the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the Academic Bank of Credits, Indian Knowledge Systems and the Choice Based Credit System.

The scheme also encourages state universities to establish artificial intelligence (AI) centers of excellence to strengthen advanced technology education and research.

Proposed areas of focus include artificial intelligence, machine learning, data science, robotics, computer vision, natural language processing, generative AI, agentic AI, digital twins, ethical AI and multimodal learning.

Another component involves establishing independent schools of technology within state public universities. These schools are expected to concentrate on postgraduate, doctoral and postdoctoral education, along with applied and translational research.

The plan also includes incubation centers, research parks, industry-linked projects and internship opportunities to strengthen connections between academic institutions and industry.

The government resolution (GR) identifies several institutions where Centres of Excellence are proposed. These include ICT Mumbai, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Technological University in Lonere, COEP Technological University, Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI) in Mumbai, and government engineering colleges in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jalgaon, Karad and Amravati. Shri Guru Gobind Singhji Institute of Engineering and Technology in Nanded is also listed.

In addition, CM-SRISTHI proposes a Meta University model that would connect multiple universities, research institutions and industries through a shared academic ecosystem.

The model is intended to facilitate the exchange of courses, faculty members, research infrastructure and other academic resources across participating institutions.

Through these measures, the five-year scheme seeks to expand international academic engagement, strengthen research capacity, promote advanced technology education and encourage greater collaboration among universities, research organizations and industry across Maharashtra.