Ganjam Golanthara
On January 20th and 21st, 2026, NIST University celebrated a significant milestone by commemorating its 29th NIST Foundation Day and the 2nd University Foundation Day. The event was graced by esteemed dignitaries, with former deputy governor Reserve bank of India Dr. Michael Patra, serving as the Chief Guest for the inaugural ceremony. Lt. General Commandant, AADC Gopalpur R.C Srikant joined as Guests of Honour,
while Hyderabad based company named T-works Associate Vice President Mr. Sahaj Sandhu delivered a keynote address as the Chief Speaker. The event was inaugurated by Dr. Sukant K. Mohapatra, our esteemed Founder & President, who warmly welcomed the dignitaries and attendees.
Dr. Mohapatra elaborated about NISTU has set a benchmark not only through outstanding academic programmes, quality education, but also multidisciplinary research centre of research excellence in IOT, Renewable energy, drone technology, computer vision,
multimedia, and robotics. Our faculty and staffs are always involved in blood donation camp, ensuring sense of joy in the orphanage, beach cleaning shows our commitment towards society community and nation building.
The Chief Guest Elaborated on the fast-growing economy of India. He explained how the youth power can be harnessed to contribute to the growth story of India. India has a window of about 25 years down the line where India will enjoy the largest youth dividend and this is the opportunity for us to grow. He also emphasised on the large-scale involvement of women power to further drive the growth.
Prof. Priyadarsan Patra, Vice Chancellor of NIST University highlighted the university’s growth into a comprehensive university with expanding programs across engineering, sciences, management, and emerging interdisciplinary domains. This evolution has been made possible by the vision of our founders, the commitment of successive leadership teams, and the sustained dedication of our faculty and staff.
Lt. General Commandant, AADC Gopalpur R.C Srikant shared insights about the Army Air Defence College as a center of excellence for training in advanced technologies, safety measures, and autonomous systems, noting the importance of collaboration with NISTU. He announced plans for a future MoU between AADC and NISTU to explore joint efforts in AI and security technologies.
Mr. Sahaj Sandhu highlighted the importance of innovation and industry ecosystem—the bridge between education and employability.
The The event concluded with a heartfelt vote of thanks delivered by Dr. Bishnukar Nayak, Registrar In-Charge, who expressed gratitude to all the dignitaries, guests, and participants for making the celebration a grand success. Throughout the day,
the campus hosted seminars on research collaboration, project exhibitions, and academia-industry partnerships. In the evening, 43 teaching and non-teaching staff members were felicitated for completing 10, 15, 20 and 25 years of service. Senior academic leaders, including Dean (Academics) Dr. P. Rajesh Kumar and several other faculty members along with staff and officials attended the celebrations. The event was coordinated by Dean Academics Dr. P.Rajesh Kumar, Dr. Akankshya Patnaik, Dr Preeti Ranjan Sahu, Dr Gayatri Panda, Dr. Sasmita Padhy, Dr. Sabyasachi Rath, Dr Sandipan Malik.
