Nagaland University Celebrates 33 Years of Academic Excellence and Innovation
Nagaland University, the only Central University in the state, celebrated its 33rd Foundation Day on September 7, 2026, at its headquarters in Lumami and Medziphema Campus, reaffirming its focus on academic excellence, research, innovation and community engagement. Established in 1994 by an Act of Parliament, the university has grown into a major institution with six schools, 43 departments, five Centres of Studies, three permanent campuses and 70 affiliated colleges across Nagaland. During the 2025-26 academic year, the university awarded 100 PhD degrees, 791 postgraduate degrees and 6,452 bachelor’s degrees, alongside degrees in education, nursing and law. Addressing the celebration, Vice Chancellor Prof. Jagadish Kumar Patnaik highlighted the university’s growing achievements in research, innovation and startups, attributing the progress to stronger governance, resource mobilisation and incentives for creativity and productivity. The university showcased research addressing regional needs in areas including biodiversity, indigenous knowledge, healthcare, agriculture, energy and rural livelihoods. Innovations such as the high-yielding ginger variety ‘SAS KEVÜ’, biochar research, backyard poultry initiatives supporting women’s self-help groups, and work in energy storage and quantum technologies were among the highlighted achievements. Nagaland University has also earned national recognition for its innovation and intellectual property, ranking second among government universities in India for patents granted and fifth for patents published in the India Today Best Universities 2026 rankings. The Foundation Day celebrations also featured the Vice Chancellor’s Awards 2026, recognising outstanding teachers, non-teaching staff, research scholars and students. At the Medziphema Campus, the programme included the university flag hoisting and addresses emphasising perseverance, collaboration, ethics, integrity and social responsibility. The celebrations reflected Nagaland University’s evolution from an institution focused on expansion to one increasingly committed to excellence, innovation and creating meaningful impact for the region and beyond.