Sunil Khare, Professor and Dean (R&D), IIT Delhi says, “We have joint scholars working on research projects that have produced patents and publications apart from attracting huge funds, including those from AIIMS New Delhi. There are about 100+ research projects in collaboration with Delhi, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR); National Institute of Immunology (NII), New Delhi, NLU, Delhi; Ashoka University, Sonepat, IIIT Delhi, All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), New Delhi, RCB, NII, ILBS New Delhi to mention a few.
mutual benefit
“Through the mutual exchange of research facilities and expertise between the two institutions, tie-ups help to meet each other’s research needs and identify their strengths. Essentially, most of these collaborations have an interdisciplinary focus, often translating into need-based technologies and products,” Khare says.
IIT Delhi has also implemented the Delhi Science and Technology Cluster with the support of the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India. “The aim is to create seamless connectivity between academia, R&D laboratories, industries and government agencies in the city. The cluster provides platform for knowledge exchange and research collaboration between institutions towards better scientific solutions,” says Khare.
IIT Roorkee (IITR) has also been proactive in providing research infrastructure and faculty members who act as consultants to neighboring institutions in terms of knowledge sharing, technically skilled manpower development and joint intellectual property creation . “Many research areas comply with the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which is also a priority for neighboring institutions,” says Manish Shrikhande, Professor and Dean-Sponsored Research and Industrial Consultancy, IIT Roorkee. AIIMS Rishikesh, CSIR-CBRI-Roorkee, National Institute of Hydrology (Roorkee), National Institute of Design Haryana, NIT Srinagar, NIT Hamirpur, CSIR-IIP Dehradun, TERI etc.
joint ventures
“IITR is collaborating with AIIMS Rishikesh in healthcare, drug development, medical diagnostics; and is also facilitating collaborative training, education and research (including visiting faculty, scholar exchange, joint research projects). Under the National Mission for Himalayan Studies (NMHS) scheme, projects with GB Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment and Sustainable Development, Almora, Uttarakhand are focused on water resources, disaster management and sustainable habitat in the Himalayas,” informed Shrikhande.
project innovation
The Institute’s Design Innovation Center (DIC), initially funded by the Ministry of Education, has recently been upgraded as the Department of Design where NIT Srinagar and IIM Kashipur are involved in projects in Mechanical Design, Architectural Design and Management Studies. “After the pandemic, the Design Innovation Center (DIC) provided a platform to come up with solutions to fight against the coronavirus. We wanted students from different institutions to share their views. The competition ‘Covidscape’ was organized for neighboring institutions, with the aim of taking advantage of the best ideas from all the institutes. Projects ranging from self-walkthrough and vehicle disinfection tunnel systems to UV-C automobile sanitizers, SVASYA (a wearable hand sanitizer with an incorporated ID card holder) and an Ultra Violet Virus Sterilization Robo were initiated with neighboring universities And prototypes were developed,” says Shrikhande.
Global approach to local problems
Recently, the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Andhra Pradesh has been collaborating with state universities to implement joint academic programs at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. CSP Rao, Director, NIT Andhra Pradesh says, “The institute has identified some potential areas for research-based projects such as agriculture, horticulture, robotics, drones, smart mobility, data analytics etc. and execute them with the help of neighboring universities. is planning.” , adding that sharing of resources and expertise is one of the key points in the MoU with universities that are leaders in the relevant academic domain with local connections. “It aims to create a strong regional cluster with higher educational institutions in the region of Godavari districts to apply research of faculty and students to locally identified social problems. Think Global and Act Local is the motto of this agreement. ,” explains Rao.
“The institute is effectively planning to do outreach with different goals, where community based service project is with more priority,” says Rao, adding that the institute will provide labs to the participating universities through a smart gateway. Will provide access to equipment and infrastructure related to R&D. System.
They claim that the proposed inter-institution collaboration will increase the scope for researchers including joint publications and patents. “Through this agreement, scholars from the participating institutions can conduct their studies/tests at our institution based on the academic flexibility of the universities. Joint doctoral degree programs can be explored for long-term reciprocal opportunities,” says Rao.
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