IIT Roorkee director Professor Ajit K. Chaturvedi and Rahul Mehta, Chief Executive Officer of Mehta Family Foundation (MFF) of USA signed a Memorandum-of-Understanding in this regard recently.

The other eminent personalities present were Professor Sandeep Verma, Secretary, Science and Engineering Research Board of Government of India and Dr. B.V.R. Mohan Reddy, Chairman of the Board of Governors, IIT Roorkee.

Principal Scientific Advisor to Government of India Professor K. Vijay Raghavan said Artificial Intelligence research and training is key to our future.

AI technologies are critical for India and will have a significant social and economic impact in the coming years, he said while inauguration at IIT Roorkee.

This international academic collaboration between IIT Roorkee and MFF is a commendable effort to ensure that India continues on its innovation trajectory, he said.

The school will offer offer Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral Degree programs. The School will welcome its first cohort of Bachelor’s degree students in September 2022.

The objective of this School is to develop new and skilled manpower in the areas of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence along with an aim to empower existing manpower by offering focused Trainings and Certifications in these fields, say sources from IIT Roorkee.

IIT Roorkee is pioneering in the field of AI and Data Science and this MoU with MFF will provide an additional boost in creating resource centres for knowledge and information, he said.

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Director of IIT Roorkee said today is a landmark day in the journey of IIT Roorkee. We are setting up the first School of the Institute.

This would not have been possible without the generous support from Mehta Family Foundation. I would specially like to thank Mr. Rahul Mehta for his keen interest and time over the last six months without which we would not have reached this day, said IIT Roorkee director.

The school will be housed in a new dedicated building at the IIT Roorkee campus developed with the support provided by MFF.

In addition to the infrastructure, renowned experts in the field of AI including Professor Ananth Grama, Professor Shankar Subramanium and Professor Rajesh Gupta will actively participate in designing the curriculum, faculty recruitment, monitoring and suggesting new research ideas to the Indian students of this school.

These experts will also facilitate MFFs student scholarships and faculty exchange programs to make this initiative a success.

Rahul Mehta of MFF said AI-driven technologies are rapidly transforming our world. Academic collaborations like this one between international faculty and IIT Roorkee will produce individuals poised to address such ongoing global challenges as climate change, resource sustainability and security.

I want to thank Professor Ajit Chaturvedi and everyone at IIT Roorkee and International experts Dr. Shankar Subramaniam, Dr. Rajesh Gupta and Dr. Ananth Grama for their effort to create the school of Data Science and AI, added Mr. Mehta.

Dr. Ananth Grama, Alumnus, IIT Roorkee and Samuel D. Conte Professor of Computer Science at Purdue University, Indiana, said I graduated from IIT Roorkee (then, University of Roorkee) in 1989.

‘We are a proud family of Thomasonians — my brother, Dr. Chethan Grama, also graduated from IIT Roorkee in 1986, and my father, Dr. G.N. Yoganarasimhan, served on the faculty for many years.

‘It gives me immense pleasure to see the establishment of the Mehta Family Foundation School of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence at my alma mater.’

‘Working with the talented and dedicated faculty and students at IIT Roorkee, and with the support of the Mehta Family Foundation, I am committed to helping build a world-class research, education, and outreach program, in this critically important area.’

Its other objectives include supporting the Make-in-India and Atma-Nirbhar initiatives of the Indian government by seeding entrepreneurship and startups related to Data Science and Artificial Intelligence and creating resource centres for information and knowledge sharing.

About IIT Roorkee

IIT Roorkee is an institute of national importance imparting higher education in engineering, sciences, management, architecture and planning and humanities and social sciences. Since its establishment in 1847, the institute has played a vital role in providing technical human resources and know-how to the country.

Bachelor’s Degree courses are offered in 10 disciplines in Engineering and Architecture; 55 Postgraduate Degree courses are offered in Engineering, Applied Science and Architecture and planning. The Institute has facility for doctoral work in all Departments and Research Centers.

The IIT admits students to BTech and BArch courses through the IIT-JEE. conducted at various centers all over India. Since its establishment, the well-known institution has played a vital role in providing the technical manpower and know-how to the country and in pursuit of research.

BITS Pilani signed an agreement with the Defence Institute of Advanced Technology (DIAT) in Pune, on December 4. The areas of knowledge-sharing activities undertaken include workshops, seminars, and conferences to be conducted on national security fields, according to a statement from BITS Pilani.

The BITS Pilani statement also says that joint research work will be an area of focus for this collaboration. The Center for Research Excellence in National Security (CRENS) established at the BITS Pilani will facilitate the partnership.

Both institutes will also undertake research projects including short-term consultancy assignments to deal with industry issues and long-term initiatives to explore emerging and future areas. The collaborations will include the usage of lab infrastructures, faculty members, and research scholars.

BITS Pilani vice chancellor Ramgopal Rao was critical of the tie-up and stated: “Our partnership with DIAT Pune reflects a shared vision that through research and innovation, we can synergistically elevate the defence capability of India and give a technological push to India. Through CRENS we intend to address the veritable challenges and bring about self-reliance in the strategic sectors.

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BHVS Narayana Murthy, vice chancellor of DIAT Pune, stated: “DIAT Pune focuses on developing India’s technological defence capabilities by focused research, innovation, and skill development. BITS Pilani has always led the way for innovation, and our tie-up with the esteemed university will enable us to share resources and expertise to address many of the problems that are now challenging National Security and facilitate an ecosystem of collaboration, innovation, and entrepreneurship.”

Conclusion

The partnership between BITS Pilani and DIAT Pune is a significant step forward in strengthening India’s national security and technological landscape. Through combining research, innovation, and skill development expertise, the two institutions aim to address critical challenges and enhance India’s defence capabilities. Initiatives such as joint research, certificate courses, and resource sharing will foster innovation and self-reliance in this collaboration. This partnership not only shows the importance of academia-industry synergy but also creates a benchmark for strategic collaborations in the building of a technologically robust and secure future for India.