Dr. Prashant R. Nair of Amrita IQAC Honoured as Regional Mentor of Change by Atal Innovation Mission

Dr. Prashant R. Nair, Associate Director of the Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC) at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Coimbatore, has been designated a Regional Mentor of Change (RMoC) and named one of the Gems of Mentor India by Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog. This marks his fifth consecutive year receiving the honour from a competitive pool of 6,500 mentors associated with Atal Tinkering Labs (ATL).

Dr. Nair attended the Mentor Round Table (MRT) 2025 held at NITI Aayog on 17 September 2025, where the award was formally conferred by the AIM Mission Director, Dr. Deepak Bagla. The event also saw participation from NITI Aayog officials, including CEO Shri BVR Subrahmanyam. In his remarks, Dr. Nair emphasised the importance of sustained engagement, mentorship, and grassroots innovation in education.

Since 2018, Dr. Nair has been contributing pro bono as an ATL mentor to three schools: Yuvabharathi Public School, Coimbatore, and Amrita Vidyalayams in Trichy and Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu. His involvement has ranged from guiding student teams to shaping project ideas, enabling schools to meaningfully participate in national-level innovation challenges. His long-term dedication aligns with Amrita University’s ethos of outreach and extension under its “Education for Life” vision.

Dr. Nair holds the dual role of academic and administrator within Amrita University. He is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science & Engineering. He also serves as coordinator for the National Board of Accreditation (NBA) on the Coimbatore campus. Over the years, he has spearheaded quality assurance and accreditation processes across multiple campuses, guiding Amrita to secure top NAAC grades and improving institutional governance structures.

In a recent interview, Dr. Nair elaborated on his philosophy of institutional transformation: “If there is a will, there is always a way—even in government institutions.” He argued that real change in higher education does not require miracles but demands a synergy of mindset, mission, and meticulous execution. He also dissected the evolving roles of quality by design versus quality by conformance, stressed the need for aligning curriculum with industry while preserving academic rigor, and highlighted the growing importance of AI, transparency, and micro-credentials in higher education.

Under Dr. Nair’s guidance, student teams from Amrita have secured accolades in major national and international competitions, including Smart India Hackathon, TCS Digital Twin Challenge, Rajasthan Hackathon, and the Singapore–India Hackathon, with recognition from the Prime Minister’s Office. He also handles key leadership responsibilities in professional bodies such as IEEE, ACM, CSI, and IETE, contributing to the academic ecosystem beyond his university.