Assam: IIT-Guwahati strengthens international collaboration with universities in Canada and Japan

Guwahati: The Indian Institute of Guwahati (IITG) in Assam has bolstered its global partnerships by signing a total of four Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) with renowned international educational institutions.

On Sunday (March 3), the institute took a significant step towards enhancing knowledge exchange by formalising collaborations with Canada’s Dalhousie University and Japan’s Gifu University. All the MoUs have been signed for five years and may be further extended based on mutual understanding.

Speaking during the signing of the MoUs, Prof Rajeev Ahuja, Officiating Director of the IITG, expressed pride in collaborations with the partner institutes. 

“IITG is committed to supporting the students’ academic and personal growth through these programmes. The primary goal is to enrich the educational experience of students and noted that such cross-cultural opportunities would enable them to achieve that. In essence, the collaborations aim to provide students with diverse learning experiences and growth opportunities, fostering a holistic educational environment at the IITG,” Prof Ahuja said.

The key highlight of signing the MoU with Dalhousie University is to establish Joint Doctoral Programmes. This innovative collaboration marks the inception of Joint Doctoral Programmes designed to foster dynamic research collaborations between scholars and students from both institutions.

By facilitating exchange programmes for students and the academic staff, fostering joint research activities, and promoting the sharing of research materials, this partnership aims to cultivate a rich academic environment conducive to groundbreaking discoveries and academic excellence.

Additionally, the joint supervision of PhD candidates promises to offer diverse perspectives and expertise, enriching the educational journey and enhancing the quality of research outcomes. For this collaboration, Prof P Balakrishnan from Dalhousie University signed the MoU with Prof Ahuja.

The IITG also established an ‘International Joint PhD Programme’ in collaboration with the Gifu University, spanning a standard duration of three years. This programme entails a collaborative course design by both universities, offering students a comprehensive educational experience. Throughout their dissertation work, scholars will receive collective guidance and mentorship from faculty members at both the home and partner institutions. Research progress will be evaluated by a multidisciplinary team of experts from both universities, ensuring rigorous academic standards and fostering innovative research outcomes.

An agreement has been forged for a two-year ‘International Masters Joint Degree Programme in Food Science and Technology’ between the two institutes. This programme is guided by collaborative management between Gifu University and the IITG, facilitating coursework and dissertation evaluation for enrolled students.

Additionally, the programme emphasises data sharing across institutions, aiming to cultivate highly skilled professionals in food science and related fields. This initiative is poised to address challenges in building a sustainable society by optimising resource utilisation and benefiting both regions.

The IITG has further collaborated with Gifu University to establish a ‘Global Expert Programme,’ an international joint-certificate initiative under the Inter-University Exchange Project (IUEP). This programme enables the students to obtain certification from both universities as exchange students, fostering cross-cultural learning and enhancing global competencies.

These partnerships were solidified during a three-day event, the ‘Japan-NER Bioeconomic Technology Cooperation Symposium 2024 (JNBTCS-2024),’ being hosted by IITG between March 3 and 5. JNBTCS-2024 aims to explore essential technical areas for accelerating bio-economic development in Japan and the Northeastern region, featuring multiple invited talks and numerous poster presentations.

The symposium provides insights into how international collaborative education can accelerate societal transition, with academic sessions focusing on cutting-edge research in food supply chains, sustainable technology, disaster management, and biomass utilisation, particularly in bamboo resources of the Northeast.

Distinguished researchers, industry leaders, entrepreneurs and young researchers from across India and Japan are participating in the event, providing a platform for discussions on current challenges and future opportunities in bio-economic development.