Galgotias University Honoured by Union Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya for Excellence in Industry-Aligned Curriculum and Entrepreneurship Ecosystem at Times Now Education Summit 2026
Galgotias University was honoured for “Excellence in Industry-Aligned Curriculum & Student Entrepreneurship Ecosystem” at the Times Now Education Summit 2026, National Edition, recognising the University’s work in integrating industry expertise, emerging technologies, experiential learning and entrepreneurship into its academic ecosystem.
The award was presented by Hon’ble Union Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, Minister of Labour & Employment and Youth Affairs & Sports, Government of India, at the summit in New Delhi.
Galgotias University has been working to close the gap between academic preparation and what industry increasingly expects from graduates. Its approach is to build curriculum with industry from day one, rather than treating industry exposure as an intervention towards the end of a student’s degree. Collaborations with Accenture LearnVantage, IBM, L&T EduTech, Tata Technologies, Microsoft and byteXL bring industry expertise, contemporary technologies and applied learning into curriculum design and delivery.
This engagement extends across 20+ Centres of Excellence and advanced laboratories on campus, giving students access to cutting-edge technologies and environments where they can work on live industry problems, experiment and apply what they learn. The ecosystem spans artificial intelligence, advanced computing, electric mobility, software and application development and other emerging technologies.
The iOS Student Developer Program at Galgotias University, featured by Apple on its global platform, https://apple.co/galgotias, is an example of how this model translates into student work. Instead of being limited to prescribed briefs, students use Apple technologies to build applications addressing complex societal and real-world challenges. Galgotias students have developed 85+ apps live on the App Store, while 18 students were winners of the Apple Swift Student Challenge in 2026, up from 10 in 2025.
Dr Dhruv Galgotia, CEO, Galgotias University, said, “Universities and industry can no longer operate at a distance from each other. The curriculum has to reflect how technology, professions and businesses are changing, and industry needs to participate in that process from the beginning. At Galgotias University, our students work with contemporary technologies, industry experts and real-world problems while they are still learning. We also want them to have the confidence and ecosystem to take an idea beyond the classroom, build a product and, where possible, create an enterprise. This recognition at the Times Now Education Summit encourages us to deepen that approach.”
The same philosophy extends to entrepreneurship. More than 135 startups are currently being incubated at Galgotias University, with 30+ already generating revenue. Students have access to incubation, mentorship, advanced laboratories and industry networks as they move from identifying a problem to developing a prototype, validating an idea and building a venture.
The INR 10 crore Galgotias Innovation Fund provides another pathway for promising ideas and ventures emerging from the University community. The combination of incubation support, industry collaborations, Centres of Excellence and advanced technology infrastructure allows students to move between learning, experimentation, product development and entrepreneurship.
As artificial intelligence and emerging technologies transform professions and business models, the distinction between academic knowledge and workplace capability is becoming increasingly important. Galgotias University is working to bring the two closer together through education designed and delivered in collaboration with industry, while giving students the infrastructure and institutional support to become problem-solvers, creators and entrepreneurs.
