Avantika University is a state private university at Lekoda near Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, established in 2017. It was created through an amendment to the Madhya Pradesh private-university law and is part of the wider educational legacy associated with Prof. Vishwanath D. Karad and the MIT group of institutions. The university was conceived with a specific ambition: to revive Ujjain’s historical identity as a centre of knowledge through a contemporary university built around design, technology and liberal education. Avantika describes itself as India’s first design-centered university. Its academic philosophy uses the idea of “Designeering,” bringing design thinking together with engineering, technology, management, law, agriculture and other disciplines. Project-based and problem-based learning, interdisciplinary work, creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship are central elements of the curriculum. The university places emphasis on how students learn, not only on disciplinary content. The campus at Vishwanathpuram, Lekoda, covers about sixty acres and includes design studios, laboratories, blended classrooms, computing facilities, a FabLab, library, sports infrastructure and residential facilities. The institution offers undergraduate, postgraduate and research programmes across design, engineering, management, computer applications, law and other areas. Avantika’s state legislation was published in January 2017, and the first university statutes were notified in September 2017. Annual reports are publicly available from the 2017–18 academic year onward, providing a continuous record of its development. The university’s location near Ujjain and Indore gives it access to a historic cultural centre and a major central-Indian commercial region, supporting a distinctive blend of heritage, design, technology and contemporary professional education. The design-centered approach extends beyond programmes carrying a design label. Avantika applies design thinking to engineering, management and other professional areas, encouraging students to frame problems, prototype solutions and work across disciplines. This philosophy, together with the residential Ujjain campus and maker-oriented facilities, forms the clearest distinction between Avantika and more conventional private universities.