BIS Announces 500 Internships for Students to Boost Standardisation Culture in Academia

The eight-week internship will focus on pre-standardisation activities and practical engagement with the industrial ecosystem.

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), the national standards body under the Government of India, has unveiled a significant opportunity for 500 students from its partner institutions across the country. This initiative, introduced at the Annual Convention of BIS Standardisation Chairs and Nodal Faculty of MoU Partner Institutions, represents a major step in fostering a deeper culture of quality and standardisation within Indian academia.

Internship Opportunity for Aspiring Quality Leaders

The newly announced internship programme is aimed at students currently enrolled in four-year undergraduate degree programmes, five-year integrated degree courses, postgraduate programmes, and diploma programmes. A total of 500 internship positions will be offered for the 2025–26 academic year.

The eight-week internship will focus on pre-standardisation activities and practical engagement with the industrial ecosystem. Key components of the programme include:

• Pre-Standardisation Work: Hands-on research and documentation on key standardisation needs in two critical industry sectors.

• QCO Compliance Surveys: Active participation in Quality Control Order (QCO) compliance surveys in collaboration with BIS regional and branch offices.

• Field Exposure: Site visits to large-scale manufacturing units, Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), and testing laboratories.

• Comprehensive Studies: In-depth analysis of manufacturing processes, raw material quality, in-process quality controls, product testing, and broader conformity assessment procedures.

This internship programme is designed not only to provide practical exposure to students but also to align academic learning with national quality goals and industry expectations.

Major Milestones of BIS-Academia Interface

Over the past few years, BIS has significantly strengthened its engagement with academic institutions through a series of collaborative projects and initiatives. These efforts have yielded impactful results:

• Curriculum Integration: Standardisation-related modules have been formally included in the academic syllabi of 15 partner institutions, helping inculcate foundational knowledge about standards and quality among students.

• Research and Development: More than 130 R&D projects focused on standardisation have been initiated, expanding the scope of academic contributions to national quality infrastructure.

• BIS Corners and Dashboards: Over 50 institutions have set up dedicated BIS Corners and Academic Dashboards to centralise access to standards-related knowledge and updates.

• Student Engagement: A total of 198 BIS Standards Clubs have been launched in 52 institutions, promoting student-led initiatives around standardisation themes. More than 3,400 students from 74 institutes have participated in national-level quizzes and awareness drives.

Voices from the Convention: A Collective Vision for Quality

The Annual Convention served as a platform for fruitful exchange among BIS officials, faculty, and institutional leaders. In his inaugural address, Shri Pramod Kumar Tiwari, Director General of BIS, lauded the efforts of academia in integrating standardisation into the educational fabric and called the partnership a "shared national mission" to embed a pervasive culture of quality.

Shri Rajeev Sharma, Deputy Director General (Standardisation), BIS, emphasized the need for institutions to pursue action-oriented collaborations and actively contribute to the national quality ecosystem.

Technical Sessions and Recognition of Excellence

The convention also featured multiple technical sessions focusing on:

• Integration of standardisation into academic curricula

• Procedures for participation in standards formulation

• Mechanisms for fostering student participation through Standards Clubs

• Effective use of BIS resources in academic settings

An open house discussion was held where partner institutions presented best practices and innovative models for engaging students in standardisation efforts.

Five institutions were specially felicitated for their exceptional performance in BIS-related activities:

• IIT Roorkee

• SSEC Chennai

• NIT Jalandhar

• SVCE Chennai

• PSNACET Dindigul

These institutions were acknowledged for their leadership in academic collaboration and student engagement, setting a benchmark for others to follow.

Way Forward: Building a Quality-Conscious Academic Ecosystem

The event concluded with a collective pledge to deepen the culture of standardisation within academic ecosystems. BIS and its academic partners envision an empowered student community that can contribute meaningfully to India’s national and global quality ambitions.

This internship initiative and the broader BIS-academia partnership are poised to play a critical role in shaping India’s future quality leaders—well-informed, practically trained, and aligned with the evolving needs of industry and society.