Shoolini University is located in the lap of one of the biggest ecological and biodiversity hotspots of the world – The Himalayas. Our research-driven philosophy drives every researcher in the University to focus and identify issues related to the Himalayas.
Centre of Research on Himalayan Sustainability and Development (CRHSD): With this centre set up on December 15, 2015, inaugurated by the Noble Laureate, Prof Robert Huber, we have been active partners of Himalayan University Consortium, ICIMOD and Integrated Mountain Initiative. CRHSD is the nodal office of IMI-Himachal Chapter led by Director of CRHSD, Prof Adesh K Saini.
Our mission is to make a significant and measurable impact on the Biodiversity, Environment and Socio-Economic Development of the Himalayan Region through Research & Practices and the Vision is “To make people of Indian Himalayan Region aware of the advantages of Sustainable Development”. CRHSD gets an annual grant of Rs. 15 lakhs. Call for proposal was made to all the faculty members. Two projects were selected on following themes
- Phytochemicals for Cancer treatment (3 lakh/yr)
- Natural products based Antimalarials (2.5 lakh/yr)
One of the goal of CRHSD is to cover the Biodiversity Conservation by
- Study of Flora and Fauna
- Conservation and Repositories of life-forms
- Endangered Life-forms
- Industrial Growth and Biodiversity
- Abiotic and Biotic Factors Impacting Biodiversity.
Secondly, we also focus on Sustainable Utilization of Resources by understanding various aspects of
- Preserving Water and Land
- Development of Food Products
- Himalayan Microflora: its distribution and Utilization
- Renewable Energy sources
Thirdly we are covering Health and Well-being by understanding
- Prevalence and pathogenesis of Diseases
- Identification of therapeutic natural products
- Novel Drugs
- Disease Management
- Food and water borne diseases
- Yoga and Health
Next we are focussing on Socio-Economic Development by gaining insights into
- Himalayan Farming and Agroforestry
- Industry and Economics
- Models to develop Tourism
- Skill and capacity Building
- Religion and Cultural Heritage
Lastly, we want to focus on Disaster mitigation and Management which a critical issue in sustainable development. Under this, we have received a Grant from NMHS of MoEF&CC – Rs. 43 lakhs to understand loss of microbial biodiversity due to Forest Fire. And another grant from same agency of Rs 47 lakh for understanding the ecology of Taxus plant.
For better functionality the research centre is further nurturing various themes in its different sub-centres namely –
Research Centre in Nanotechnology - Established by Shoolini University to promote interdisciplinary research among different faculties in 2012. Formally inaugurated by Hon’ble Justice Swatanter Kumar, Chairperson, National Green Tribunal on 31st January, 2016. The mission of the centre is to work for the development of nanomaterials for improving the life of people in the Himalayan region with special relevance to water purification, materials synthesis for applications in defense, biomedical and communication engineering.
Research Centre in Omics - Harnessing and bioprospecting of Himalayan Biodiversity including a. Microbiota (Bacteria / Fungi / viruses), b. Macrobiota (Medicinal plants) The vision is - Bioprospecting of Himalayan Biodiversity by Omics approach. The centre is involved in Quality research: on issues associated with the origins and maintenance of biodiversity, Educate to Protect: To provide the information needed to better manage biodiversity with the goal of minimizing the loss of populations and species, Collect and Index: Develop inventory of biodiversity through DNA bar coding as a tool for identification and species discovery, Leadership: Globalize Himalayan biodiversity through national / international collaborations. The thrust area for the centre are to utilize omiccs – proteomics, genomics and metobolomics for understanding and sustainable utilization of biodiversity for drug discovery for cancer and pathogens.
The Faculty of Engineering & Technology has established the following Centre of Excellence to provide wider opportunities to students:
Centre of Excellence in Energy Science & Technology
It has been established to serve as a leading Research Centre, knowledge hub in renewable energy and meeting point for experts by encouraging the cooperation and collaboration in the research, innovation and technological development of Renewable Energy with special relevance to the Himalayan Region. This Centre aims to promote research in energy efficiency and the adoption of renewable energy sources like Solar, Wind, Geothermal, Small Hydro, and Biomass, etc., to meet energy requirements by considering implementation of renewable energy policies at the local, regional, and national levels. The Centre offers M Tech (Energy Technology) and Ph D in Energy Ph D in Energy Science & Technology w.e.f 2020-2021. The Centre will further explore current, new and alternate energy technologies, including hybrid of renewable, conventional sources and fossil fuels to develop innovative technologies. The main research programme highlights of the Centre are focused on:
- Wind, Solar and other renewable energy Resource assessment in the Himalayan region
- Solar power generation; Solar Roof Top power plants
- Energy & Environment Policy concerns
- Solar thermal; Concentrated Solar Power development & applications
- Energy storage; Renewable based hybrid energy Systems
- Passive solar heating and cooling technologies; Green buildings; Energy conservation efficiency in Industry & Buildings
- Energy Security: Lesser dependence on oil imports through development and deployment of alternate fuels (hydrogen, biofuels and synthetic fuels) and the applications to contribute by bridging the gap between domestic oil supply and demand
- Increase in the share of clean power: Renewable (Bio, wind, hydro, solar, geothermal & tidal) electricity to supplement fossil fuel-based electricity generation
- Energy Availability and Access: Supplement energy needs for cooking, heating, power generation in rural, urban, industrial and commercial sectors
- Energy Affordability: Cost-competitive, convenient, safe
- Energy Equity: Per-capita energy consumption at par with the global average level by 2050, through a sustainable and diverse fuel- mix.
Centre of Excellence for Automobile Engineeringfor Automobile Education and research
Shoolini University has established the Centre of Excellence for Automobile Engineering by joining hands with leading industries in Automotive Engineering to achieve excellence and to produce entrepreneurs and technocrats. It will be the first such Centre in the region providing academic excellence in Automobile Engineering at the Undergraduate, Master’s and Doctorate levels, along with imparting training to upgrade skills required by the industry.
Centre of Excellence in Visionary Learning Community of India (VLCI)
This Centre was established by Padam Shri Professor Shoji Shiba in collaboration with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII). The aim of the program is to create great visionaries/leaders to upgrade the standard of Indian manufacturing sector and to create industry ready students.
Shoolini Innovative Technology Business Incubation Centre
The Ministry of Small, Medium Entrepreneurs (MSME), Government of India, has sanctioned a Shoolini Innovative Technology Business Incubation Centre at Shoolini University in the Faculty of Engineering & Technology to support entrepreneurs and new startups. The Centre recently participated in Innovative India Competition2020 by submitting 10 innovative ideas.
Remote Centre for ‘AAKASH for Education’, IIT Bombay
This Remote Centre is being managed by the School of Electrical and Computer Science Engineering. The Centre has excellent infrastructure and good faculty with expertise and experience
Amazon Web Services (AWS) Academy
This academy provides training and certification model designed to validate the knowledge of professionals as per the growing and changing demands of the IT industry. To keep up with the standards, one can take the certification and expect a great rise in terms of position and salary.
Research Centre in Yoga - Centre was formally inaugurated on June 21st, 2016 (International Yoga Day) by Swami Krishnananda Giri, Yogoda Satsang Society of India, Ranchi. The main function of the centre is to confluence of ancient Indian philosophy and Spirituality with modern academic programs, awakening inner (Soul) power & understanding the meaning of Human existence, encourage human and social values among young generation leading to social care. We also intend to disseminate yoga and its applications as solutions to control major social challenges of the World and promote yoga and meditation as an indigenous technique for the treatment of various irrepressible diseases.
Research Centre in Disaster Management – It has a goal for making our surroundings disaster resilient and to develop educational materials for disaster management including academic and professional courses.
Research Centre in Data Analytics – The centre is the platform in which all (multidisciplinary) data related to science research and education is coordinated. It aims to provide students and researchers the opportunity to unlock insights hidden in Big data sets and assists society and businesses with translating these insights into action to solve complicated problems.