HYDERABAD: India is on the cusp of a transformative period in the history of medicine, driven by AI-powered discovery, predictive genomics, advanced biologics, and cell and gene therapies, said Mets Madan Mohan Reddy, Executive Director, Aurobindo Pharma.He highlighted how science and technology are reshaping global healthcare. “India has long been recognized as the world’s pharmacy for affordable medicines across borders, including during the COVID-19 pandemic, and is now well-positioned to move beyond manufacturing and play a greater role in innovation,” he added.Reddy delivered the convocation address at the 14th Congress of Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad (JNTUH) on Saturday. He pointed out that India’s responsibility is not only to participate in global innovation, but also to influence its direction by developing advanced, yet affordable and scalable treatments. He emphasized that progress must be fair and accessible and reminded students that innovation ultimately comes with human responsibility. In recognition of his contributions to science, technology and pharmaceutical fields, Reddy was also awarded an honorary doctorate by the university.“R25 Curriculum”A total of 82,547 students were awarded degrees: 72,210 undergraduate degrees, 9,373 graduate degrees, 729 Doctor of Pharmacy degrees, and 87 doctorate degrees across 15 disciplines. Female students stood out at convocation and continued to perform well academically. Of the 26,501 students who graduated with honors, 68% were women. They also dominated the prestigious list, winning 59 of the 71 gold medals awarded in each discipline. Vice Chancellor T. Kishen Kumar Reddy highlighted that JNTUH, in line with the state’s Higher Education Vision 2047, has introduced the R25 curriculum that aligns academics with emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, cybersecurity and blockchain.“As many as 23 deep tech startups were incubated in areas such as AI, blockchain, healthcare and urban mobility, while eight new research centers were established and 214 doctoral scholars were admitted after a long gap,” he said, adding that the university has strengthened national and international collaborations, including memorandums of understanding with institutions in Germany, Sweden and Japan.
