And now an ERP for colleges

Pratima Harigunani

PUNE: Academicians might be inching closer to the marketplace beyond the erstwhile corporate-campus tie-ups for research and trainings.

As Symbiosis Institute of Computer Studies and Research (SICSR) might exemplify soon that educational institutes too can be the assembly lines for new products in times to come.

In this case, however, education institutes are the target markets too as SICSR takes on the task of designing an ERP-CRM package for academic institutions and Universities in India.

As Harshad Gune, associate professor at SICSR and co-ordinator of the project explains, "We have floated the idea of an ERP solution that would cover areas like admissions, finance, entrance, library management and other typical requirements of an education outfit. We have done the ground research and are now embarking on the feasibility assessments."

Though it would not be a pure commercial offering, earnings might be channelised from the support areas. " It would not be 100 per cent free but a mix of free and price-based offering. Business models would be finalised as we explore different avenues of partnerships," Gune clarifies, adding that he is looking at funding possibilities too.

The base module of this package would be an enterprise level CRM and ERP package called Compiere, shares Jitendra Pawar, project manager for this solution. "We are trying to mould it into a proof-of-concept for an academic set-up here. Modules like finance, sales, production, pre-admissions and post-admissions are also on the board.”

Around 80 per cent of the solution is envisaged to be a plug-and-play module while the rest would be the revenue conduit due to tailor-made offerings. The package so far is in open source and students are vital contributors too. Issues like IP are also being discussed with industry leaders in open source community.

Pawar adds that the idea is to keep the product open for changes or modifications by other Universities, if and when the need arises.

Does the product have a market? "Why not," gushes Pawar, "Competition is hotting up in the education sector. As international Universities step in the domestic sector, Indian counter-parts would need to match them on technology. " The biggest hurdle however, in his opinion, would be the lack of standardisation of processes.

The first pilot, which obviously would be at Symbiosis, is expectedly going on-stream in the next six months. "Our requirements are ready and the system is in place too. We are ready to do the mix-and-match part and roll it out soon," says an optimistic Pawar.

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