IIT-Kgp, American varsity to jointly design low-cost technologies

In a unique blend of east meets west, a top American public research university will collaborate with Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur (IIT-Kgp) to start student-to-student programmes in innovation and entrepreneurship for developing low-cost solutions.

In addition to encouraging innovations and enhancing entrepreneurial skills, the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), headed by Indian-American Pradeep Khosla, an IIT-Kgp alumnus, will tie-up with the institute in medical sciences programmes too.

"We want students from the institutes to work together in these projects. They will try to develop low cost solutions to various issues such as healthcare," IIT-Kgp Director Partha Pratim Chakrabarti told reporters here Monday.

The idea is to integrate the best of both cultures for human interest, Chakrabarti said, adding plans are being chalked out to bring the idea to fruition.

According to Khosla, the innovation aspect will entail students to engage in developing low-cost technologies which could be applicable in India and other countries and these same ideas can be brought to the US at the same cost and not ten times the cost.