SRINAGAR: The University of Kashmir (KU) Tuesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with IC-IMPACTS Centres of Excellence, headquartered in Vancouver, Canada. The MoU establishes a framework for a collaborative partnership aimed at enhancing academic and research opportunities and encouraging bilateral projects between Canada and India.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO), IC-IMPACTS, Dr Nemkumar Banthia and Dean, Research, KU, Prof M Sultan Bhat signed the agreement during a ceremony held at the Vice Chancellor’s Secretariat here. KU Vice Chancellor, Prof Nilofer Khan; KU Registrar, Prof Naseer Iqbal; Director, Directorate of Internal Quality Assurance (DIQA), KU, Prof Manzoor Ahmad Shah (Programme Coordinator), Special Secretary to KU VC, Dr Ashfaq A Zarri and India Coordintor, IC-IMPACTS Prabha Daga were present on the occasion.
Expressing her enthusiasm for the collaboration, Prof Nilofer Khan, said that the partnership will facilitate meaningful academic exchanges and innovative projects that align with KU’s vision of academic excellence and community development.
The project focusses on four major areas, infrastructure, water, food security and public health. Emphasising the importance of the collaboration, CEO, IC-IMPACTS, Dr Nemkumar Banthia, said that all their technologies are patented and asserted that that the collaboration will lead to significant number of patents and prototypes.
Dean, Research, KU, Prof M Sultan Bhat, underscored the potential benefits of the partnership and its alignment with the varsity’s vision of encouraging academic collaboration. Project Coordinator, Prof Manzoor A Shah, discussed the potential and possibilities of cooperation between the two institutions and the prospects of collaboration in various areas, including the exchange of students and faculty, as well as sponsoring demonstration projects.
IC-IMPACTS will fund all the activities including research, development of prototypes, workshops, demonstration projects, leadership training programmes, etc. during the three-year partnership.
