IIT Madras Research Park plays host to Academic program presented on behalf of The Royal Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research

February 5, 2020

Chennai: On behalf of the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research, The Norwegian Research Council and Diku – Norwegian Agency for International Cooperation and Quality Enhancement in Higher Education presented a two day academic program on 5th & 6th February 2020 at the IIT Madras Research Park.

The Ambassador of Netherlands, Mr. Marten Van Den Berg and Ms. Anne Line Wold, Director General of the Ministry of Education and Research accompanied by a 50-member delegation, consisting of government officials and heads of research and educational institutions in Norway visited the Research Park to attend the program. The seminar took up four key areas to highlight the significance of the ongoing cooperation and explore future collaborations among Indian and Norwegian Institutions. It identified, Academics, policy makers, research institutions and industry representatives as key stakeholders along with citizens and civil society agencies to propel innovation and knowledge development and transition to a sustainable future. The agenda was to bring to the table these stakeholders to discuss a model for a joint commitment to transition to a Smart Sustainable Society in India and in Norway. Day one of the academic program was kick-started with a site visit of the IIT Madras Research Park and a brief introduction to its Industry-Academia collaboration initiatives.

Ambassador Van Den Berg on completing the site visit said that not only was he impressed but also inspired by the collaboration between Industries and Research that was showcased within Research Park. He said that innovation was key to facing the challenges in society and he could witness several examples at the Research Park illustrating the same, especially relating to solar energy, energy storage, battery and health care. Aside from being innovative he said that the low-cost indigenous solutions developed at the Research Park made it accessible to all strata of society which was not only important in India but also Netherlands. He also proposed that in order to strengthen international collaborations and mutually benefit, students from both countries must be presented with the opportunity of exchange programs.