BIT Mesra, IIT Kanpur agreement paves way for student and faculty exchanges, co-supervision of projects

The Birla Institute of Technology (BIT) Mesra and the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT) Kanpur have signed a five-year agreement to enhance research collaboration and academic interaction between the two institutes. The partnership will enable student and faculty exchanges, joint research projects and academic programmes.

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed by IIT Kanpur director Manindra Agrawal and BIT Mesra vice-chancellor Indranil Manna. It may be extended beyond the initial five year period by mutual agreement.

The collaboration will also allow research scholars to get joint supervision, access to specialised facilities and participate in internship and training programs in both the institutions.

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Five areas covered in the MoU

The agreement identifies five main areas of engagement, including undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG)  research, student exchanges and internships, joint supervision of Master’s and PhD students, academic programs and training for institutional staff and officers.

As part of the research framework, faculty from both institutions are able to co-supervise undergraduate projects from the third year and postgraduate projects from the first semester. PG and PhD scholars may have two or more supervisors from the participating institutions.

The institutions will establish arrangements agreed between them on funding of research, academic credit, requirements for residency and intellectual property rights including publications and patents.

“Through this partnership, we aim to create new opportunities for our students and faculty to engage in advanced research, benefit from specialised academic expertise,” Manna said, about the collaboration between BITS and IIT Kanpur. He said the collaboration was a major milestone in the journey of BIT Mesra in terms of “academic excellence, impactful research and innovation-led growth”.

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Student and faculty opportunities in research, seminars and internships

The partnership also includes summer and winter internships, short-term courses, workshops, seminars and conferences. Both the institutions can jointly conduct Global Initiative of Academic Networks (GIAN) and micro-credit courses, consultancy and faculty development programmes.

Students of BIT Mesra will be allowed to go for research visits to specialised laboratories of IIT Kanpur and also participate in exchange programmes subject to terms and conditions of individual activities. Faculty from both institutions also will have the opportunity to collaborate on research and professional development activities.