German, Finnish institutes keen to collaborate with NITs

Leading technical institutes of Germany and Finland are likely to collaborate with 20 National Institutes of Technology across India for advance researches in the fields of laser technology, computer sciences and material sciences.     

Many German technical institutes and Finnish centres such as the University of Kaiserlautern, Max Planck Institute for Software Technology, the Helsinki University of Technology, the Oolu University and the Tampere University have expressed their keenness to work together with India in various fields of technology.     

"An in-principle agreement to this effect was reached during a recent tour of these countries by a high-level Indian delegation, comprising officials of Union HRD Ministry and directors of the 20 National Institutes of Technology," Director of Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology (MNNIT) Arun Baran Samaddar told PTI.     

"During our tour to the two countries, from May 10 to 17, we held extensive discussions with top government officials, universities and other institutions of Finland and Germany aimed at achieving breakthroughs in cutting-edge collaborative research projects, faculty and students exchange programmes and joint academic programmes," Samaddar said.

The MNNIT director is also Convenor of "NIT vision draft committee", which has been entrusted with the task of suggesting areas of technology which India needs to focus by 2025.     

It has also been asked to elucidate the role that the NIT look forward to playing in this development.     

"During the discussions, the delegates from the host countries were full of appreciation for the researches being done in India's NITs and evinced keen interest in opportunities for collaboration," he said.     

The MNNIT director said that various Finnish centres of excellence such as Helsinki University of Technology, Oolu University and Tampere University have showed their keen interest in collaborating with us.     

Some German varsities that have also expressed their keenness to work together with India in the field of civil engineering are University of Kaiserlautern, and Max Planck Institute for Software, Samaddar said.     

"The collaboration would materialise as soon as the modalities are finalised by the Union Ministry for Human Resource Development. Thereafter, individual NITs will be allowed to go ahead with academic collaborations suited to their respective areas of excellence," he added.