Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements (ARIIA)

The buzzword across the globe for the 21st century is 'Innovation'. In the simplest term, Innovation could be defined as converting ideas into new or improved products, processes and services. Undoubtedly, Innovation is about taking inventions to marketplace by translating scientific knowledge into products, services and offerings for economic growth and social development. Even the Hon'ble Prime Minister of India has declared the decade 2010–20 as the 'Decade of Innovation', to unleash the creative potential of every Indian. India has already been improving on the global stage in terms of Innovation ranking — from 86th place five years ago, to 57th place this year.

For India to emerge as a global innovation hub, the youth of our country — especially in higher education institutions (HEIs) — need to play a crucial role in creating a sustainable innovation ecosystem. Hence, ideally all HEIs should have a comprehensive and functional mechanism to convert research into innovations. This ecosystem will encourage, inspire and nurture young students by exposing them to new ideas and processes, resulting in innovative activities during their formative years.

Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements (ARIIA) is an initiative of the Ministry of Education (MoE), Govt. of India, to systematically rank all major higher educational institutions and universities in India on indicators related to "Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development" amongst students and faculties.

Major Indicators for Consideration

Assessment of the innovation and start-up ecosystem in HEIs is based on seven parameters, weighted out of 100 marks as below.

ARIIA ranking will certainly inspire Indian institutions to reorient their mind-set and build ecosystems to encourage high quality research, innovation and entrepreneurship. More than quantity, ARIIA focuses on the quality of innovations and tries to measure the real impact created by these innovations nationally and internationally. Moreover, ARIIA sets the tone and direction for institutions' future development, making them globally competitive and at the forefront of innovation.