Russian-Indian ink pact for higher education

To strengthen the Indo-Russian ties, the Russian-Indian Association of Institutions of Higher Education has been set up. This has been done through a Memorandum of Interest (MOI) signed by Devang V. Khakhar, director IIT Bombay and president of the Russian Rectors’ Union VA Sadovnichiy on behalf the universities’ community of the both countries.

The Association is formed as a non-profit organisation, uniting universities of Russia and India on a voluntary basis. Coordinated by IIT Bombay the Institutes and Universities from India participating in the Association are IIT Delhi, IIT Madras, IIT Kanpur, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Roorkee, Indian Statistical Institute, Delhi University, Jawaharlal Nehru University and National Centre for Biological Sciences.

"The Association will facilitate research collaboration, faculty exchange and student exchange among the leading universities of both the countries. We look forward to the fruits of the collaboration in terms of the advancement of high-quality research and development, increased internationalisation of higher education and greater linkages between the two countries," said Khakhar.

The efforts on the Russian side are coordinated by the Tomsk State University and  include Saint-Petersburg State University, Kazan (Volga region) Federal University, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology among others.

IIT Bombay also signed bilateral MoUs with the National Research Tomsk State University, Saint-Petersburg State University and Skolkova Institute of Science and Technology Russia to encourage collaboration through faculty and student exchange programmes.