Galgotias University: The Greater Noida based Galgotias University has once again come under the spotlight.
According to media reports, the University that claims to be the “best private university in India” is ranked third in the list of top 10 Indian applicants for intellectual property (patents) from universities and academic institutions.
From Robodog To Rogue Narrative
Galgotias University showcased a Robodog named “Orion” at the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi and claimed that it was built from scratch under the Make in India initiative at the University’s Centre of Excellence. A faculty member of the university expressly implied that it was an indigenous innovation by the university.
However, Chinese X handles were quick to point out that the “Orion” was in fact a Chinese innovation that was imported by the university.
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The post went viral and the Galgotias University faced ridicule. Suddenly, the artificial intelligence ambitions of the educational institution appeared more like an exercise in theatrics instead of world-class technology. A statement followed by a press release was issued by the university claiming it had no intention whatsoever to misrepresent the facts. It accepted that the Robodog was procured by the university as a resource for students.
Galgotias University-Record Number Of Patent Filings
The University filed a record 1,099 patents in 2022–23 and was only behind Lovely Professional University with 1,387 patents and Jain (deemed-to-be university) with 1,093 patents. The numbers sounded highly impressive on paper and Galgotias University highlighted this fact as a proof an impeccable culture of innovation and technology. Interestingly, India’s topmost Indian Institutes of Technology filed only 803 patents.
The estimated fee for filing a basic international patent filing comes to around $285-$400. It is believed that Indian Universities and educational institutions get grants of more than Rs. 50 crore for their patent filings. Interestingly, many of them stop pursuing the patent initiatives after receiving the patents. In short, these educational institutions probably file their patent filings just to get an easy access to grants from the government.
