24 March,2009 09:29 AM IST | | Vivek Sabnis
Pune-based Vishwakarma Institute of Information Technology (VIIT) has recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with South Korea's Hanyang University (HYU) to initiate joint research on nanotechnology, bioinformatics and information technology.
The MoU will enable the two institutes to collaborate on research programmes in specific fields of interest.
"The objectives of the programme are to provide higher education opportunities for the faculty of VIIT and also, to promote institutional linkage so that we can explore other avenues for possible collaboration," said Dr.Yung Sung Han, head of the chemistry department at HYU.
According to Rajkumar Agarwal, President, VIIT, who signed the MoU on the institute's behalf, the memorandum will pave the way for a five-year exchange programme for the students of the PG and Doctoral courses and for faculty.
He explained that VIIT has formed an undergraduate research facility to encourage students to explore new avenues in this field.
"In fact, we suggest that they do something in the core areas, which are still untouched," Agarwal said. "Joint research programs with HYU will help us in gaining a broader perspective in these untouched areas," he added.
Dr Aditya Abhyankar, head of the research and development wing at VIIT, said that the MoU is a significant step as nanotechnology is widely used in energy conservation and in engineering design.
Pune is the hub for this field in India with several institutes and independent scholars currently collaborating with foreign institutes on this.
