UK's Loughborough University signs MoU with IITs

UK's much acclaimed educational institution, Loughborough University, has joined hands with three of the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT). The University has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with IIT Delhi, Bombay and Madras to facilitate academic cooperation between the institutions.

The MoUs were signed by the Vice Chancellor and President of Loughborough University, Professor Robert Allison and Professor R. K. Shevgaonkar (Director, IIT Delhi), Professor Devang Khakhar (Director, IIT Bombay) and Professor Sarit K. Das (Dean of Academic Research, IIT Madras).

The links are primarily at research level; Loughborough University is working with industry and for the UK Government through national research centres on their campus to provide real solutions to real global problems such as water scarcity, clean and re-newable energy sources, sustainable buildings, transport and bio-engineering.

These are also priorities areas for India and IIT's strengths and research interests in these areas would help build the link stronger. Through the MoU, Loughborough University also looks to develop fellowship schemes and PhD studentships, as well as placements, so that faculty members and students can move freely between both universities and benefit from the different perspective of conducting research in a different country but at a leading university respectively.

Commenting on the partnership, Professor Robert Allison (Vice Chancellor and President, Loughborough University) said, "We feel elated to have this opportunity of developing our links with some of the oldest and most prestigious institutions of India. Loughborough is one of the UK's leading universities for Engineering and Science; all of our Engineering departments have been ranked within the top 10 or even top 5 in the UK for teaching and research.

It therefore makes perfect sense for us to want to work more closely with the pre-eminent Indian universities for Engineering. Our relationship with IIT Delhi in fact dates back to our first research collaboration in the 1970's, so this is a long standing link and we currently have active research projects with IIT Madras and IIT Bombay that have successfully received funding from the Department of Science and Technology and the UK and European Governments.

This is a great step to further strengthening our relationship and a number of key areas of future collaboration have been identified relating to joint research priorities and staff and student mobility."

There are a number of benefits for Indian students would get through this MoU. They will be able to access not just the expertise at IITs but will also have the opportunity to access the faculty expertise and world class technical facilities at Loughborough University. So this will give them the exposure to internationally acclaimed institutions in India and in the UK. Loughborough University is also looking to invest in scholarships of up to 100% of the tuition fees in some cases to attract and reward the best Indian students.