KOCHI: The Fertilisers and Chemicals Travancore Limited (FACT) and Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) on Monday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to institute the ‘FACT Chair Professor’ in the Department of Safety and Fire Engineering in Cusat’s School of Engineering.
FACT company secretary Susan Abraham and Cusat registrar Meera V signed the MoU at the FACT corporate office in the presence of K Jayachandran, director (technical), FACT and Cusat vice-chancellor P G Sankaran. The MoU aims to enhance academic and research endeavours in industrial safety, health, and environment.
“As per the MoU, FACT will provide funding for the initiative for one year as part of its corporate social responsibility initiative. This underscores FACT’s commitment to promote education and research in industrial safety, health, and environment,” a release said.
Establishment of the chair professorship will “significantly enrich the academic and research ecosystem, offering substantial benefits to students and industry alike,” said the statement, adding that the ‘FACT Chair Professor’ will be tasked with leading research and development initiatives, as well as facilitating teaching and training programmes within the realms of process safety, occupational health and hygiene, and sustainability initiatives such as pollution prevention, cleaner technologies, and life cycle assessment.
Jayachandran stressed on the significance of bolstering the synergy between industry and academia considering the long-standing relationship between FACT and Cusat. He underscored mutual benefits that such collaborations entail, particularly in enhancing the quality of technical education and fostering advancements in critical fields.
