Setting a major milestone in the path towards digital transformation of Kerala economy, the Kerala University of Digital Sciences, Innovation and Technology Act, 2021 has come into effect. Governor Arif Mohammad Khan has signed the Bill which was unanimously passed by the Kerala Legislative Assembly last month, a varsity statement said here.
The Act intended to establish and incorporate non-affiliating research and teaching university in Kerala to facilitate and promote studies, research, incubation and knowledge extension work in Digital Technologies and its application domains.
The transformation of Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management-Kerala (IIITM-K) to the Digital University Kerala has been accomplished with the introduction of the Act, it said. The Governor's address in January 22, 2018, has first announced the government's plan to upgrade IIITM-K as a prominent centre for research and education in the field of latest technologies.
This was also announced in the budget speech in February 2018. Following this, Kerala University of Digital Sciences, Innovation and Technology ordinance was published in January, 2020.
To address the growing demand of skilled candidates for the fourth industrial revolution, the state government had officially inaugurated DUK at the Technocity campus in February this year. With a strong innovation cluster, latest facilities and renowned faculty, the Digital University Kerala has started admissions to its master programmes in cutting edge technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Cyber Security, Internet of Things etc, it said.
The DUK has AICTE-approved MTech courses and MSc course and PhD programmes approved by UGC. The courses are conducted under its five schools - School of Computer Science and Engineering, Electronic Systems and Automation, Informatics, Digital Sciences and Digital Humanities and Liberal Arts.
It has a range of innovation centres and centres of excellence such as Maker Village, Kerala Blockchain Academy, Centre of Excellence in Intelligent IoT sensors, thingQbator etc. The courses of DUK are designed to give students the opportunity to understand and identify real world problems and find solutions through innovations, the statement added. The DUK campus at Technocity is equipped with state-of-the art labs and residential facilities for students.