Murthal tech varsity gears up to establish incubation centre

Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram University for Science and Technology (DCRUST), Murthal, in Sonepat is gearing up to establish its own incubation centre in a bid to foster entrepreneurship among its students.

In this regard, the university is collaborating with IIT-Delhi and NIT-Delhi, and is planning to develop the centre as a Section 8 Company.

In conversation with Mukesh Tandon, Vice-Chancellor Shree Prakash Singh delves into how the university is promoting research work among students and faculty members.

How does DCRUST differ from other universities ?

Established in 2006, it is the first technical university in the state. Its close proximity to the Capital (only 30 km), huge green campus, superior infrastructure, hostels and engineering facilities make the institute stand out among others in state. Sports, cultural group, NCC and NSS facilities are also offered here.

What is the status of the admission process?

The admission process for the 2025-26 academic session is underway, and admissions to engineering courses are being done through the Haryana State Technical Education Society. A total of 607 students took admissions to the BTech course (first-year) in the 2024-25 academic session — the highest number of admissions recorded in the last five years.

The university offers 40 seats in the Bachelor in Architecture course. Apart from it, it offers 677 seats for science and BCA programmes at the undergraduate level, while 510 seats are offered for postgraduate courses at the university.

This year, so far, 1,675 applications have been received for science stream courses.

The schedule for five physical counselling sessions has been announced by the university.

What trends have been observed in campus placements over the years?

As many as 74 companies — including some multi-national firms — visited the university last year. A total of 342 students have been shortlisted by these, and 240 have already secured placements. Campus placements in the college have witnessed an upward trend — in 2020, only 87 students secured campus placements; 243 in 2021; 272 in 2022; and 283 secured placements in 2023. Electrical and chemical engineering, biomedical and biotechnology courses observed 100 per cent placements, while the number stood at 78 per cent for civil engineering, 75 per cent for mechanical engineering, 60 per cent for electronics and communication, and 62 per cent for computer science and engineering. Several of the college’s alumni have secured jobs in the armed forces and civil services. Notably, Pradeep Malik, the topper of the UPSC exam in 2019, was a student of DCRUST.

What steps have been taken to improve research ?

The university has launched a special incentive scheme for researchers. Under the scheme, two researchers each from all departments would get a scholarship of Rs 25,000 per month. The university has also announced that Rs 5 lakh would be given to students/faculty for good research work. It has also decided to bear all expenses of students/faculty presenting papers abroad.

How many research papers have been published this year?

This year, so far, 283 research papers have been published in various journals. As many as 425 research papers were published in journals in 2023, while, in 2024, a total of 474 research papers were published. More than 20 research papers have been published in high-impact-factor journals, while a score of research papers have been published in impact-factor journals. Two research papers have been published in Coordination Chemistry Reviews, two in Carbon Journal, one in Materials Today, while nine research papers have been published in Journal of Energy Storage. Several have been published in the globally recognised Scopus Index Journals. The university has registered two patents —one for a ‘clay cooler’ and another for an ‘anti-rust formula’.

Is the university working towards increasing its ranking?

All efforts are being made to improve the ranking of the university. DCRUST is working to improve the students-faculty member ratio by appointing more faculty members, so that every department can get recognition from the National Board of Accreditation (NBA). The university is also planning to develop an incubation centre. Talks with IIT-Delhi and NIT-Delhi are underway to establish the centre. Also, a project report to establish a thermal solar testing plant, estimated to cost Rs 3.4 crore, on the campus has been submitted to the government for approval. When established, it would be the first such plant in north India. A special Rs 1.5-crore lab has been established by Volvo-Eicher, and, soon, Mitsubishi will visit the university to establish a lab here.