Prof. Manindra Agrawal, Director of IIT Kanpur, has offered a candid assessment of India’s higher education system, the urgency of building indigenous cyber-defence capabilities, and the critical role of fundamental research in shaping real-world applications. Speaking at the Startup Demo Day 2025 ‘Connect 1.0’, organised by C3iHub, the Technology Innovation Hub at IIT Kanpur, Prof. Agrawal emphasised the need for systemic reforms in education, the importance of self-reliance in technology, and the necessity of fostering innovation in cybersecurity.
**Higher Education and Global Leadership**
Prof. Agrawal highlighted the transformative changes underway in India’s higher education landscape, particularly the proliferation of digital content. However, he stressed that two critical challenges remain unaddressed: the student selection process and the lack of hands-on learning.
“The way students are selected needs serious revisiting, especially from the perspective of the IITs and undergraduate entrance examinations,” he said. “The examinations are falling short of identifying students with raw talent—there is a significant dependence on coaching. Second, training of students in our colleges lacks a significant hands-on learning component. We need to address these issues to prepare our students for global leadership in science and technology.”
This critique underscores the need for a more holistic approach to education, one that balances theoretical knowledge with practical application. By fostering creativity and problem-solving skills, India’s higher education institutions can better equip students to compete on the global stage.
**Indigenous Cyber-Defence Infrastructure**
With cyber threats escalating, Prof. Agrawal emphasised the need for indigenous cyber-defence solutions. He noted that most current solutions are either open-source or proprietary, both of which pose significant challenges.
“Open-source solutions pose serious security risks, whereas proprietary solutions are not customised for India’s cyber-defence and they are also expensive, thus mostly unaffordable for MSMEs/SMEs, who are the backbone of our country,” he explained. “To ensure our infrastructure is resilient and agile against cyber-attacks, we must have control over the solutions we implement, which means the solutions must be developed, managed and maintained by our own people.”
IIT Kanpur is already playing a pivotal role in this domain. The Wadhwani C3i Centre houses India’s first industry-level critical infrastructure testbeds, and the Cybersecurity Technology Innovation Hub (C3iHub) is actively engaged in end-to-end indigenous cybersecurity research, innovation, and commercialisation. The Hub has supported 50 start-ups and 50 R&D projects, and its solutions are deployed at critical organisations such as NHAI and IPA.
“Many skilled human resources are required for this, which is possible to generate only by academic institutions with domain expertise, like IIT Kanpur,” Prof. Agrawal said. “The Hub has also supported 50 start-ups and 50 R&D projects in cybersecurity across India and is conducting large-scale training programmes and hackathons at national level, involving more than one lakh students.”
**Self-Reliance in Cybersecurity and Defence-Tech**
The recent geopolitical tensions have underscored the importance of self-reliance in cybersecurity and defence technology. Prof. Agrawal highlighted the critical role of supply chain security, noting that hardware Trojans embedded within imported chips could compromise India’s critical infrastructure and defence systems.
“We need to build this capability as well as develop our own supply chains to close all backdoors,” he said. “Concerted efforts should be put into nurturing innovation, fostering collaborations and creating globally competitive technologies to deliver indigenous cybersecurity and defence solutions that safeguard our country’s future.”
This call for self-reliance is not just about reducing dependence on foreign technology but also about ensuring that India’s cybersecurity infrastructure is robust, adaptable, and tailored to its unique needs.
**Fundamental Research and Real-World Applications**
Prof. Agrawal’s own work on the AKS primality test exemplifies how fundamental research can have far-reaching implications. Originally a curiosity-driven project, the AKS primality test has significantly impacted cryptography, where secure digital communication depends on prime numbers.
“Fundamental research is the foundation of most impactful innovations,” he said. “With quantum computers becoming a reality, existing encryption and secure communication protocols are at risk and require new strategies that can stem from breakthrough fundamental research. In cybersecurity, the threat patterns and vectors are fast evolving, and we need strong foundations in fundamentals in order to build and continuously improve indigenous cybersecurity solutions.”
This perspective underscores the importance of investing in fundamental research, as it lays the groundwork for future innovations that can address emerging challenges in cybersecurity and beyond.
Prof. Agrawal’s insights offer a roadmap for India’s higher education system, cybersecurity infrastructure, and technological self