Chennai, May 29: Hindustan Group of Institutions (HGI), through the HITS School of Management in association with the Office of International Affairs, organized the “Global Knowledge Exchange Series for Faculty Excellence” at the Hindustan Head Office, Guindy, bringing together academicians, researchers, and faculty members from management, engineering, healthcare, and executive education domains to discuss entrepreneurship, MedTech, healthcare innovation, and interdisciplinary research.
The Faculty Development Programme focused on the theme “Entrepreneurship, MedTech & Interdisciplinary Research” and aligned with HGI’s vision of fostering globally connected, innovation-driven, and future-ready academic ecosystems as the institution celebrates 60 years of academic excellence.
The programme featured keynote sessions by internationally renowned academicians including Prof. Kevin Fynn, Emeritus Professor at Curtin University, Australia, and Prof. Paisarn Muneesawang, Professor at Mahidol University, Thailand.
Professor Kevin Fynn spoke about academic entrepreneurship, commercialization of research, and industry-academia collaboration, drawing from his experience in academic leadership and technology entrepreneurship.
Prof. Kevin Fynn said, “Universities today must evolve beyond traditional teaching models and become active innovation ecosystems where academia, industry, investors, and entrepreneurs collaborate to create meaningful societal impact.”
Professor Paisarn Muneesawang presented his work in digital healthcare ecosystems, telemedicine, healthcare analytics, AI-driven healthcare technologies, and interdisciplinary research models transforming healthcare delivery globally.
Speaking about the significance of interdisciplinary innovation, Dr. S. Priya, Director, HITS School of Management, said, “The most transformative innovations globally are emerging at the intersection of management, healthcare, engineering, analytics, policy, and entrepreneurship. Academic institutions therefore need to actively encourage interdisciplinary collaboration and research-driven learning.”
The discussions also focused on entrepreneurship education, healthcare digitalisation, MedTech innovation, international collaborations, and industry-academia partnerships. Participants further discussed the Tamil Nadu Government’s University Research Park initiatives and the Government of India’s PRIP scheme aimed at strengthening research and innovation in the pharma and MedTech sectors.
Speaking on the institution’s larger academic vision, Dr. Anand Jacob Verghese, Chairman, Hindustan Group of Institutions, said, “As HGI celebrates 60 years of academic excellence, we remain committed to building globally connected, innovation-led academic ecosystems that encourage interdisciplinary research, international collaborations, entrepreneurship, and industry engagement.”
The programme concluded with an interactive faculty engagement session, open-house discussions, and deliberations on future collaborations, joint research initiatives, and innovation-led academic partnerships.