

BHUBANESWAR: The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bhubaneswar and IIT (ISM), Dhanbad have signed an MoU to deepen research collaboration and academic exchanges, with semiconductor technology and basic sciences identified as initial focus areas.
The pact was inked by IIT Bhubaneswar director Shreepad Karmalkar and IIT (ISM) Dhanbad director Sukumar Mishra on Wednesday. It provides for joint research programmes and projects, reciprocal supervision of doctoral students and exchange of faculty and students.
The two institutes will explore opportunities for visiting faculty and adjunct faculty positions, student exchanges for teaching-learning sessions, seminars and observerships. They will also jointly pursue research funding from external agencies and facilitate the sharing of experimental resources.
As part of the collaboration, the two institutes will examine possibilities for developing and jointly using large-scale experimental facilities and hold joint discussion meetings to build expertise in identified research areas. Semiconductor research will be taken up initially, the agreement said.
“Through this collaboration with IIT (ISM) Dhanbad, we seek to create greater opportunities for joint research, academic exchange and doctoral engagement,” Karmalkar said.
Mishra said the MoU marked the beginning of deeper collaboration in research and academia, with the two institutes seeking to build partnerships that contribute to science and society.
The agreement also provides for joint outreach programmes to expand the reach and visibility of collaborative academic and research initiatives. Faculty, personnel and students will be exchanged in mutually identified areas on the principle of reciprocity and mutual benefit.
The pact will remain in force for five years and can be extended by mutual agreement. Intellectual property generated jointly through collaborative activities will be owned equally by the two institutes, unless otherwise agreed, the MoU said.