The Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) Pilani has launched LEAD-Academics, a six month hybrid certification programme designed to equip senior academic administrators for the next level of academic leadership and to strengthen their capacities in advancing institutional excellence in higher education. The programme, which was inaugurated today (11th August 2025), will run till 21st January 2026. structured around six thematic areas, integrating strategic leadership, academic innovation, inclusive management, technological integration, crisis resolution, and regulatory frameworks.
The initiative commenced with an intensive six-day residential engagement (11-14 August 2025) at BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus, featuring an eminent panel of speakers from premier national institutions who delivered in-person sessions to a cohort of 31 participants, shortlisted through a highly competitive selection process. The distinguished speakers included Prof. V. Ramgopal Rao, Group Vice Chancellor, BITS Pilani; Prof. Soumyo Mukherji, Director, BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus; Prof. Uday Desai, Former Director, IIT Hyderabad; Prof. Bijendra Nath Jain, Former Vice Chancellor, BITS Pilani; Prof. Sudhir Jain, Former Director, IIT Gandhinagar and Former Vice Chancellor, Banaras Hindu University; Prof. Partha Pratim Chakrabarti, Former Director, IIT Kharagpur; Prof. S. Sadagopan, Former Director, IIIT Bangalore; Prof. Andrew Thangaraj, Professor at IIT Madras and NPTEL Coordinator; Prof. Radhika Vathsan, Dean, Academic Undergraduate Studies, BITS Pilani; Prof. G. Sundar, Director, Off-Campus Programmes, BITS Pilani; Prof. Krishna P. Kaliappan, Dean Strategy, IIT Bombay; Prof. K. N. Satyanarayana, Director, IIT Tirupati; and Prof. Mini Shaji Thomas, Former Director, NIT Tiruchirappalli.
This on-campus immersion will be followed by 32 interactive online lectures, including weekend live sessions, case studies, and thematic discussions hosted on BITS Pilani’s digital platform. Designed as a rigorous, multi-modal engagement, the programme integrates strategic leadership training, academic innovation, policy implementation, and technology-enabled governance to address the evolving challenges of academia. It aims to provide strategic leadership to elevate academic standards, build leadership capacity for problem-solving, foster innovation in teaching, learning, and research, apply expert insights to address higher education priorities in India, and integrate technology to enhance institutional efficiency and engagement.
A distinctive element of LEAD-Academics is the capstone leadership project, through which participants identify a key institutional challenge, develop and implement strategic solutions using programme tools, and present their results to a panel of sector experts. The programme will equip participants with qualifications that translate into a significant multi-level impact. At the individual level, participants will develop enhanced governance abilities, advanced leadership skills, and strong interpersonal and relationship management capabilities, contributing to improved staff morale. At the institutional level, they will gain the capacity to advance academic standards, drive dynamic institutional development, and operational performance. At the system level, they will be prepared to contribute to an expanded pool of visionary and competent leaders, fostering targeted collaboration and knowledge-sharing among leaders, scholars, and policymakers across institutions and regions. Participants who successfully complete the programme will be awarded a certificate and accorded BITS Pilani alumni status, joining an influential network of academic leaders.