*Looking at the direction to which the next NAAC manual is heading, and even otherwise a compelling need to boost research, I recommend that every multidisciplinary university should at least subscribe to the following basic research needs:-
1. Core Databases (University-wide)
(a) Scopus │ Web of Science │ Turnitin (Plagiarism Check)
(b) INFLIBNET / e-Shodh Sindhu integration for cost optimisation
2. Subscriptions (by Discipline)
(a) Commerce / Business: EBSCO Business Source, Emerald Insight
(b) Engineering / Technology: IEEE Xplore, Elsevier ScienceDirect
(c) Economics / Mgmt: EconLit, HBR Online, Bloomberg Terminal
(d) Life / Medical Sciences: PubMed Central (free), Springer Nature Life Sciences
(e) Agriculture / Environment: CAB Abstracts, ProQuest Agri & Env Sci DB
Analytics: Statista, Sage, ICPSR.
3. Central Instrumentation & Analytics Facility (CIAF)
₹ 2–3 crore setup under Dean (Research & Innovation)
Phase I equipment: UV–Vis Spectrophotometer, FTIR, HPLC, Microscope, SEM, XRD, GC–MS. Add to it based on your researchers specific and immediate needs for their potential or ongoing projects.
4. Departmental Research Labs
(a) Each discipline to develop focused labs (e.g., AI Lab, Business Simulation Lab, Molecular Diagnostics Lab) as applicable to their specific area.
(b) Coordinate under Research Clusters for synergy.
