This partnership will concentrate on core clinical, interdisciplinary, and translational research, say sources from IIT Madras.

The MoU

A MoU towards this dual degree program was signed on 16 November 2023 by Dr. Uma Sekar, Vice Chancellor, SRIHER and Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras.

Director of IIT Madras

Elaborating on the need for ‘Physician-Scientists’, Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, said, “The world needs medical technology which, in turn, requires doctors with domain knowledge to explore the technological world.

The MD-PhD program planned between IIT Madras and SRIHER will be a flagship one, enabling the above requirement, said Prof Kamakoti.

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I am confident that this collaboration will lead to very interesting innovations that will lead to scalable, accessible, affordable and quality health care for our nation, said director of IIT Madras.

Launch

IIT Madras in May 2023 had launched the Department of Medical Sciences and Technology, which will offer a four-year B.S. program in medical sciences and engineering in.

This course will be a first-of-its-kind in India, say sources from IIT Madras.

As physician-scientists, they will be particularly involved in productive academic research and can contribute to biomedical innovation, discover lifesaving therapies and have the potential to develop disease prevention strategies, said Dr Uma.

A physician scientist’s in-depth clinical knowledge of human health and disease, combined with skills in scientific investigation and analysis, make him or her uniquely resourceful, said Dr Uma.

Dr. Uma Sekar added, “Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Research Institute established in the year 1985 has been in the forefront of medical education and research since its inception.

Though few medical postgraduates pursuing M.D or M.S opt for Phd through the existing ICMR MD PhD program, the transition of research output to the patient’s bedside does not happen because of the lack of biomedical engineering guidance.

By twinning with IIT Madras for the dual degree, there will be a productive blend of research and health care application, she said.

Requirement

Dr. Uma Sekar said being already involved in patient treatment and management, they will able to understand the requirement for products that will be innovative, applicable and improve the health and well-being of many individuals.

Engineering research intense institutions like IIT Madras can help bring out products or prototypes to address the needs of the health care sector, she said.

They will play a vital role in advancing medical knowledge with substantial impact on human health, she said speaking at IIT Madras.

Objective

The objective of MD-PhD Dual Degree Program is to produce well-trained research scientists who will lead India’s quest for self-sufficiency in the field of medicine and health.

The program will be operational from the next academic year, say sources from IIT Madras.

The postgraduates admitted to SRIHER through NEET and desirous of doing PhD will apply for the PhD program at the end of the second year to the Department of Medical Sciences and Technology at IIT Madras.

The Department of Medical Sciences and Technology will follow established procedure to select candidates to pursue the PhD program.

Once selected, IITM will issue them a pre-PhD offer and they will be eligible to register after their degree in SRIHER.

Such candidates will be mentored by IITM faculty and a SRIHER faculty during their third year at SRIHER.

Candidates admitted to the PhD program will be jointly guided by a faculty member from DMST and a co-guide from SRIHER.

The candidate will spend a year at IITM, completely funded by SRIHER through a fellowship to complete the coursework requirements, further develop the skills required for the PhD program and begin their research.

For the subsequent two to three years, the candidates will continue their research while being part-time students at IIT Madras and senior residents at SRIHER until the completion of the PhD program.

The department will train physicians to effectively apply technology in their clinical practice and lay the foundation for physician-scientists training in India.

Top medical doctors in India and abroad, who were also closely involved in the development of the curriculum, will be ‘Professors of Practice’ in this department, which has already established tie-ups with premier hospitals and medical institutions in India.

The earlier last date was 30 November 2024 and now that has been extended to 10 December 2024, this has given way for many more to take up XAT 2025 registration.

Those who are wishing to join management courses in XLRI (Xavier School of Management) can concentrate on this exam which is one of the most popular ones in the country.

Candidates who have applied earlier, can choose edit and choose new centers on 28 and 29 September 2024. The test centers are mentioned below for the sake of the students:

The process of submitting the application started on 15 July 2024. Admit card for the exam will be available for download from 20 December 2024.

Exam will be conducted on 5 January 2025 from 2:00pm to 5:30pm. The process of application (XAT 2025 Registration) has begun.

The scores in the exam will be used by other well-known management institutions for admission into courses offered by them.

There are other prestigious B Schools that offer admission into management courses based on scores in XAT and these institutions are known as XAMI (Xavier Association of Management Institutes).

Point to remember

The official website for the exam is ready and it can be visited with the help of URL ‘https://xatonline.in/’ The candidates can read the information about the exam.

The link to take up XAT 2025 registration is active, candidates can take up XAT 2025 registration and apply for the test.

About the exam

The full name of the exam is Xavier Aptitude Test which is popularly known to all as XAT. It is conducted every year by XLRI of Jamshedpur.

It is a national level exam that has to be passed to gain admission into management courses offered by XLRI and other participating institutions.

XAT 2025 is meant to be conducted for the year 2025. The test will be conducted across 75 cities in India.

Even apart from participating institutions, many other b schools across India offer admissions based on scores in this exam.

Who can take up XAT 2025 registration?

Candidates willing to take up XAT 2025 registration must have passed Bachelor’s Degree or its equivalent from a recognized educational institution located anywhere in India.

Candidates appearing for the final year of their qualifying degree examination and those who have completed degree requirements and are awaiting results can also take up XAT 2025 registration.

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However, they have to pass the exam and provide a proof for it by the time of admission process commencement in XLRI or its associate institutions.

1. The URL mentioned above must be typed into the browser and submitted to allow the website to download.

2. Once the website is ready, candidates can click the information brochure and know about the exam.

3. After reading the information, candidates can click the button Register.

4. Clicking the above button will open another webpage with URL ‘https://applications.xatonline.in/?_gl=1*17pi4n7*_ga*MTM4OTUzOTQ1NC4xNzIwODU1NjQw*_ga_44L83023B1*MTcyMDg1NTY0MC4xLjEuMTcyMDg1NTgyMC42MC4wLjA.’

5. When the webpage with above URL opens, candidates can provide the required information and create an account with username and password.

6. Post account creation, candidates can login and start applying for the exam.

Link to take up XAT 2025 Registration is Here

Registration fee

Candidates have to pay XAT 2025 registration fee of Rs 2200 while applying for the exam. Those applying for XLRI programmes, have to pay Rs 200 per programme.

How to download admit card?

Candidates who have successfully completed their XAT 2025 registration will alone be able to download admit card and its process is explained below:

1. Candidates have to visit the official website for the exam at ‘https://xatonline.in/’

2. Once the website is ready, candidates have to click the link for downloading hall ticket which may open another webpage.

3. When another webpage opens, candidates have to type their application number and other required information and submit them to obtain the admit card.

Exam pattern

XAT 2025 will be conducted online as a computer based test where the questions have to be answered on a computer screen at the test centre.

Duration to complete answering is 3 hours 30 minutes. The test will have questions related to Decision Making, Verbal & Logical Ability, Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation, General Knowledge, and Essay Writing.

Candidates who have taken up XAT 2025 registration must remember that XLRI has decided to make changes in exam timings. XAT 2025 exam timing stands changed from morning to afternoon.

The exam has to be passed with required qualifying marks which is also known as cutoff scores.

Cutoff score is the minimum marks candidates have to get in the exam to be eligible for next phase of admission.

The score of the candidates in the exam must be either greater than cutoff or equal to it.

Those who pass can appear for the next stage which comprises group discussion, interview, document verification. Those who get the seat can pay the money and join the institution for classes.

Point to remember

It is to note that many institutions accept XAT scores for admission into management programmes offered by them, their admission process and schedule may vary from that of XLRI.

Candidates have to visit the websites of those institutions and obtain information about their admission process before submitting applications there.