Hyderabad: India is at the cusp of a transformative phase in the history of medicine, driven by AI-enabled discovery, predictive genomics, advanced biologics, and cell and gene therapies, said Mettu Madan Mohan Reddy, whole-time director of Aurobindo Pharma.He highlighted how science and technology are reshaping global healthcare. “While India has long been recognised as the pharmacy of the world for supplying affordable medicines across borders, including during the Covid-19 pandemic, the country is now well placed to move beyond manufacturing and play a larger role in innovation,” he added.Reddy delivered the convocation address at the XIV Convocation of Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University Hyderabad (JNTUH) on Saturday. He noted that India’s responsibility is not only to participate in global innovation but also to influence its direction by developing therapies that are advanced, yet affordable and scalable. Emphasising that progress must be equitable and accessible, he reminded students that innovation ultimately carries a human responsibility. In recognition of his contributions to science, technology, and the pharmaceutical sector, Reddy was also conferred an Honorary Doctorate by the varsity.‘R25 curriculum’A total of 82,547 students were awarded degrees, comprising 72,210 undergraduate degrees, 9,373 postgraduate degrees, 729 Doctor of Pharmacy degrees, and 87 doctoral degrees across 15 disciplines. Women students stood out at the convocation, continuing a trend of strong academic performance. Of the 26,501 students who graduated with distinction, women constituted 68%. They also dominated the honours list, securing 59 of the 71 gold medals awarded across disciplines. Vice-chancellor T Kishen Kumar Reddy highlighted that JNTUH implemented the R25 curriculum, aligning academics with emerging areas such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, cybersecurity, and blockchain, in line with the state’s Vision 2047 for higher education.“As many as 23 deep-tech start-ups were incubated in areas such as AI, blockchain, healthcare, and urban mobility, while eight new research centres were established and 214 PhD scholars were admitted after a long gap,” he said, adding that the university strengthened national and international collaborations, including MoUs with institutions in Germany, Sweden, and Japan.
