The National Institute of Technology - Calicut (NITC) has inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Indian Council for Agriculture Research (ICAR) - Indian Institute of Spices Research (IISR) to promote research in the agriculture sector.
A press release said the MoU would promote collaboration between the two premier institutions located in Kozhikode district.
The collaboration aims at joint educational, training and research activities. The initiative is to ensure mutual benefit by exchanging knowledge of technological domains and agriculture domains. The MoU between two institutions located close to each other will have many advantages, Prof. Prasad Krishna, Director, NITC. Proper interaction, exchange programmes, and campus visits will help both partners understand issues and identify solutions, he added.
The MoU also stresses the need for exchange of invitations to scholars including faculty members, research personnel, and graduate students for lectures and campus visits. Sharing of domain expertise for the mutual benefit of research initiatives is also planned as part of the collaboration.
“The collaboration is expected to help us focus on modernised research activities setting aside traditional research,” said R. Dinesh, Director, ICAR-IISR. He also stressed the significance of collaboration in fostering mentorship in entrepreneurship and research in the spices sector.
The two institutions will now exchange scholars for participation in conferences, symposia, and seminars. Besides, the exchange of information in fields of interest to both parties is expected to benefit the academia at NITC and the research fraternity at ICAR-IISR.
Expert participation and practical training in pre-identified or selected field sites also will become a reality with the MoU. Researchers from both institutions have long been collaborating. However, it is for the first time that the institutes are signing an MoU.
