India, Norway sign MoUs to promote academic cooperation

India and Norway on Tuesday signed nine memorandum of understandings (MoUs) to promote academic cooperation between the two countries, during President Pranab Mukherjee's state visit to the Scandinavian nation.

The first MoU, between Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (IIT-K) and Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), which was signed by Director Professor Indranil Manna, IIT-K and Pro-Rector Professor Johan Hustad, NTNU, aims to facilitate further cooperation in research and education. This MoU includes mutually beneficial collaboration and seeks to promote mobility of students and faculty/staff, joint research activities and publications, exchange of academic materials and special short-term academic programs.

The second MoU, between IIT-K and the University of Oslo (UiO) by Indranil Manna and Ole Petter Ottersen, Rector at UiO and Head of the Board of the Norwegian Association of Higher Education Institutions, will promote cooperation in academic education and research between the Institutions including activities of collaborative research, lectures and symposia, exchange of scholars, researchers, students, and exchange of information and materials in fields which are of interest to both parties.

The third MoU, between the University of Oslo (UiO) and the University of Hyderabad, which was signed by Vice-Chancellor Dr. R Ramaswami, University of Hyderabad and Ole Petter Ottersen, seeks to enhance relations between the two universities and develop academic and cultural interchange in areas of education, research and other activities and work towards internationalization of higher education. According to the MoU, the parties will promote and cooperate in activities including academic exchange and collaborations, training and teaching, collaborative research and exchange of information.

The fourth MoU, between Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Thiruvananthapuram and SINTEF Materials and Chemistry, which was signed by Director Professor V Ramakrishnan, IISER, and Professor Duncan Akporiaye, Vice President Research of SINTEF, seeks to enhance relations between the two institutions and to develop academic and cultural interchange in the areas of education, research and other activities and to cooperate and work towards internationalization of higher education.

With the signing of this MoU, the institutions will promote and cooperate academic exchange, RandD collaborations, training and teaching, collaborative research, exchange of information regarding business ideas, product innovation and commercialization.

The fifth MoU, between MoU between IISER Thiruvananthapuram and the Institute of Energy Technology (IET), signed by V Ramakrishnan, IISER and Research Director Dr Arve O Holt, IET, will see the two institutions establish a framework for scientific collaboration with the aim to enhance relations to develop academic and cultural interchange in the areas of research and development by identifying collaboration opportunities in relation to academic exchange and RandD collaborations in areas of mutual interest.

The sixth MoU, between IIT-K and Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU), signed by Indranil Manna and Dr Kari Nygaard, Managing Director, NILU, sees both institutes agree to develop collaborative activities in the academic areas of mutual interest taking the forms of research and development projects and collaboration on education and training programs through project funding.

The seventh MoU, between the University of Hyderabad and the University of Bergen, signed by Dr R Ramaswami and Professor Anne Chr. Johannessen, Vice Rector, University of Bergen, seeks to enhance relations between the two Universities and to develop academic and cultural interchange in areas of education, research and other activities and agree to work towards internationalization of higher education.

The eighth MoU, between the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) and the Research Council of Norway (RCN), signed by India ambassador to Norway Norman Anil Kumar Browne and Arvid Hallen, Director General of RCN, seeks to establish a health research relationship for encouraging research in a range of health-related areas of mutual interest, including human vaccines, infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance. The agreement shall promote direct cooperation within the field being organized through joint calls and funding for research proposals/projects as well as facilitating exchange of scientists and scientific information.

The ninth MoU, between the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR ) and SINTEF, signed by DG CSIR Dr P S Ahuja and Ernst Kristiansen, Executive Vice President of SINTEF will see the promotion and extension of cooperation in scientific research and technology development in the fields of mutual interest of both sides. The cooperation will include exchange of scientists, research scholars, scientific and technical information, joint identification of science and technical problems, formulation and implementation of a joint research program in area of building and infrastructure, materials and chemistry and technology and society as well as exchange of knowledge, expertise and know-how resulting from the joint collaborative program.

In total, eleven MoUs, one agreement and one statement of intent (SiO) were signed between the two nations.

President Mukherjee, who is on a two-day visit to Norway, will travel to Finland later on Tuesday.