Parul University Wins Drona 2026: Dr. Devanshu Patel Accepts Award

Institutional academic excellence is not produced by individual brilliance. It is produced by sustained structural decisions made across years that compound into operational patterns the external sector eventually recognises. The Drona 2026 recognition for Parul University reflects this kind of compounded outcome. The work that produced the recognition began long before the recognition itself was offered.

It has been recognised at the VTV News Drona: Leaders of Education Conclave Awards 2026 for Demonstrating Exceptional Academic Excellence. Dr. Devanshu Patel, who has been President of Parul University since July 13, 2016, accepted the award on behalf of the institution. The award was presented by the Hon’ble Education Minister of Gujarat at the conclave ceremony organised by Gujarati news network VTV News. This article documents the recognition, the institutional transformation Dr. Devanshu Patel has led across nearly a decade, and the specific accreditations, rankings, and structural changes that constitute the substance of the academic excellence the Drona award acknowledges. For the parallel personal recognition of Dr. Komal Patel at Zee 24 Kalak’s Mahasamman 2026, see the companion article.

The Drona: Leaders of Education Conclave Awards is the main program that focuses on education achievements and achievers. A regional platform in the Gujarati language that awards the achievers. The conclave format that combines the award ceremony with discussions on education, policies, and more.

• Conclave format with policy depth. The conclave brings educators, policymakers, administrators, industry experts, and thought leaders together in conversation alongside the recognition ceremony, situating awards within a broader sector context.
• Sector-spanning recognition scope. The Drona platform recognises across the education sector rather than concentrating on a single segment. Recognition within categories like Academic Excellence, therefore, operates against the full range of educational institutions being evaluated.
• Government presence and signal. The Hon’ble Education Minister of Gujarat presenting the award reinforces the platform’s standing within Gujarat’s education ecosystem. Recognition at this level operates as institutional acknowledgement and sector-level public signal simultaneously.

Dr. Devanshu Patel has been the president of Parul University since July 13, 2016. His academic credentials sit at the intersection of medicine and entrepreneurship. He holds an MBBS and an MD in Pharmacology, both from the Medical College, Baroda at M.S. University of Baroda, and a Post Graduate Diploma in Entrepreneurship Management from the Entrepreneurship Development Institute (EDI), Gandhinagar. Notably, he continues to teach as a Professor in the Department of Pharmacology at Parul Institute of Medical Sciences & Research alongside his presidential responsibilities.

• Active classroom presence. Maintaining teaching engagement while running a university with 70,000+ students is structurally unusual at the presidential level of Indian higher education. The pattern signals that academic engagement is part of how the institutional leadership is being practiced rather than something delegated entirely to other roles.
• Institutional formation history. Before becoming President, Dr. Devanshu Patel established multiple institutes that now constitute parts of the Parul University ecosystem, including Parul Institute of Management and Research (2008), Parul Institute of Physiotherapy (2009), Parul Institute of Technology (2010), and Parul Institute of Architecture and Research (2012).
• Transition leadership. His earlier role as Vice President of Parul University was the period during which the institutional transition occurred from a group of separate institutes into a unified university.
• Other current roles. Director of Parul Pharmaceutical Pvt. Ltd. and President of New Era Senior Secondary School and Anand Vidya Vihar School, both in Vadodara, alongside the Parul University presidency.

The student growth at Parul University across Dr. Devanshu Patel’s tenure as President is the most easily quantified dimension of the institutional transformation. The growth pattern is structural rather than incidental.

When Dr. Devanshu Patel took the President role in July 2016, the university had 4,033 students in the 2015-16 academic year. The current student population stands at 70,000+ students drawn from 28 states and union territories across India. An additional 6,000+ international students from across 75+ countries pursue their education at Parul University. The growth in absolute terms is substantial; the growth in geographic and national diversity is structurally significant for how the institution operates.

• Multi-state Indian student composition. Drawing students from 28 states and union territories means Parul University operates with the linguistic, cultural, and regional diversity that few private universities in Gujarat can match. The operational implications span hostel arrangements, language support, food, academic calendars, and student welfare in ways that single-state-dominant institutions do not contend with.
• International diversity at scale. 6,000+ students from 75+ countries represents one of the larger international student populations among Indian private universities. The institutional infrastructure required to support this scale of international enrolment is itself substantive.

The Drona 2026 recognition for Demonstrating Exceptional Academic Excellence reflects specific verifiable institutional outcomes that have accumulated under Dr. Devanshu Patel’s leadership. The complete recognition record at Parul University includes the following structural accreditations and rankings.

• NAAC A++ accreditation in the first assessment cycle (2023). Parul University became the youngest university in India to achieve NAAC A++ grade, and did so in its very first assessment cycle without prior practice cycles. NAAC A++ is the top grade band within the National Assessment and Accreditation Council framework.
• UGC Category 1 University with Graded Autonomy. Category 1 status reflects sustained institutional performance and creates the operational latitude that supports the kind of innovation Drona-level recognition acknowledges.
• NIRF Top 50 in Innovation Ranking (2025). Ranked 11th in India in the NIRF Innovation Rankings 2025, placing Parul University within the most innovative institutional tier as measured by the Ministry of Education’s National Institutional Ranking Framework.
• QS I-GAUGE Diamond Rating. The QS I-GAUGE rating system, run by QS Quacquarelli Symonds, awarded Parul University a Diamond Rating, the top tier of institutional recognition in the framework.
• Platinum Band in R World Institutional Rankings. Platinum Band positioning in the R World rankings for Outcome-Based Education (OBE) and Sustainability dimensions.
• THE Impact Rankings positioning. Top 50 in India and within the 1001-1500 band globally in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings, which evaluate institutional contribution to UN Sustainable Development Goals.
• Mentor Institute Recognition. Selected as a Mentor Institute within the Ministry of Education’s Mentor-Mentee Program, formalising the institution’s role in supporting other institutions across the sector.

Beyond the accreditation surface, the physical and operational infrastructure of Parul University has been transformed under Dr. Devanshu Patel’s leadership through Rs. 600 Crore+ in capital investment across three years. The investment has produced a Green Library Complex, an International Students Hostel, a Sports Complex, Smart Labs, and a Central Administrative Building. The campus now operates on 64 GB Wi-Fi bandwidth distributed through 7,000+ routers.

• Active project pipeline. Another Rs. 287 Crore in projects is currently underway, including a Cancer Hospital, a 5 MW Solar Power Plant, and additional academic buildings. The investment pipeline is operationally active rather than aspirational.
• Green infrastructure positioning. The campus infrastructure includes a 3.5 MLD Sewage Treatment Plant, Biogas Plants, Rainwater Harvesting systems, and 3,64,916 water credits registered, alongside the upcoming 5 MW Ground Mounted Solar Power Plant. The infrastructure earned the International Green University Award at the 2024 New York Green School Conference.

International engagement under Dr. Devanshu Patel’s leadership has produced 120+ university tie-ups across different countries. The partnerships are operationally active rather than nominal.

• Student and faculty mobility scale. More than 100 student and faculty mobility programs have run out of these partnerships, providing 800+ students and 100+ staff members with substantive international exposure.
• International accreditation recognition. Parul University has received accreditation from the Zimbabwe Council for Higher Education and recognition at the FICCI Higher Education Excellence Awards for Excellence in Globalization.
• Geographic spread of partnerships. International countries spanning the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Oceania, with established partnerships across major institutions in the USA, UK, Australia, Germany, France, and adjacent markets.

Dr. Devanshu Patel founded the Parul Innovation and Entrepreneurship Research Centre (PIERC) to support startup development from within the university ecosystem. The infrastructure has produced documented outcomes that contribute to the broader Academic Excellence recognition.

• PIERC: 254+ startups incubated. Beyond incubation count, PIERC has secured over Rs. 20 Crore in startup funding for incubated ventures. The startups span sectors including aerospace (Cligent Aerospace’s hybrid-electric aircraft programme), clean energy, sustainable consumer products, and adjacent deep-tech and consumer categories.
• Research funding base. 25 Crore+ in research funding has been pulled in across the university’s research engagement, placing Parul University within the Top 50 universities in India in the ARIIA rankings by the Ministry of Education.

Academic Excellence recognition at the institutional level operates at multiple levels simultaneously, each with distinct significance.

• For prospective students and parents. External recognition provides validation that supports institutional choice during admission decisions. Drona-level recognition operates alongside NAAC, NIRF, and QS data points in family decision processes.
• For current students. The recognition reinforces the value of the educational experience that current students are receiving. Institutional pride supports student engagement during demanding academic periods.
• For faculty and administrators. Recognition acknowledges the sustained work of the institutional community whose efforts produce the outcomes the award is recognising.
• For the higher education sector. Sector-level signals about which institutions are delivering excellence shape the broader landscape of Indian higher education.
• For Gujarat’s higher education positioning. The recognition places Parul University within the institutional tier being publicly validated as delivering excellence, contributing to Gujarat’s broader positioning within Indian higher education.

Also Read: Dr. Komal Patel of Parul University Honoured at Mahasamman 2026