From labs to startups: How Indian universities are integrating practical skills, adaptability

When Sourya Choudhury, co-founder and chief technology officer of Apollyon Dynamics, was building his first kamikaze drone, he was also getting graded for it. BITS Pilani has a system that allows students to register independent projects as formal academic work. For the last few semesters of his degree, Choudhury simply logged Apollyon's work as official coursework. The drone his team was developing for the Indian Army was being evaluated by his professors. They got A grades.

An attendance policy that let a founder deploy

Apollyon Dynamics — a defence startup focused on jet-propelled loitering munitions and electrically propelled interceptors — was founded after Operation Sindoor. BITS Pilani's zero attendance policy meant Choudhury could be deployed at an Army base in Jammu or sitting in Sena Bhawan without anyone chasing him for missing a lecture.

Professor Sanket Goel, then dean of research at the technical university, provided financial grants at the zero stage. And when Apollyon was ready for funding, a BITS alumnus — Vikas Katragadda of Naandi Ventures — became its lead investor. "That is no coincidence," said Choudhury. "That is the network working exactly as it should."

Why the urgency is not abstract

Apollyon's case illustrates something India's best universities are increasingly trying to engineer: an environment where the line between academics and work dissolves.

According to Azim Premji University's State of Working India 2026 report, unemployment among educated 15- to 25-year-olds is nearly 40 per cent. Among those aged 25 to 29, it is 20 per cent. Only 4.6 per cent of graduates or above, in a male-only sample, find permanent salaried employment within a year of entering the labour market. The question is not whether universities need to change, but whether the changes they are making are real.

"In India, the problem is not lack of degrees," said V. Ramgopal Rao, vice-chancellor of BITS Pilani. "The problem is that many degrees do not translate into capability. The real question is whether a student can apply what he or she has learnt."

BITS is also factoring in a less visible dimension. "We are looking at workload so that students can have a better balance — focused not only on academics and industry readiness but also on mental health and social conduct," said Prof Sudhirkumar Barai, director of BITS Pilani's Pilani campus.

Replacing the CV with a portfolio

Manav Rachna University in Faridabad is rethinking not just what students learn, but how they present themselves when they leave. Every student is required to build an e-portfolio in place of a conventional CV, including a video in which the student discusses their projects, their areas of interest and the specific challenges they encountered.

"The recruiter can get to know the individual," said Deependra Kumar Jha, vice-chancellor of Manav Rachna University. "As far as I know, no other university in the country is doing this."

The university also runs an AI-powered mentor built in partnership with Google, designed to provide what Jha calls "emotional first aid". Students interact with it the way they might text a friend — typing that they are stressed, that they had a break-up, that they are struggling to pay fees, that someone is bullying them — and the system routes them to the appropriate support. It does not investigate, does not escalate informally, and does not replace counsellors. It follows three principles: short responses, clear next steps, and respect for institutional hierarchy.