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The agreement establishes a five-year framework, extendable by mutual consent, covering joint Ph.D. supervision, shared laboratory access, intellectual property developmssent and commercialisation and a range of collaborative academic and research activities.
The MoU was signed by Prof. Indranil Manna, Vice Chancellor, BIT Mesra and Prof. Suman Chakraborty, Director, IIT Kharagpur. The ceremony was witnessed by Prof. Raju Poddar, Dean, Research, Innovation & Entrepreneurship (DRIE), BIT Mesra; Prof. Sudip Das, Vice Chancellor’s Nominee, BIT Mesra; Prof Ramkrishna Sen, Dean Bio Sciences, IIT Kharagpur, Prof. Pabitra Mitra, Professor, Department of Computer Science & Engineering, IIT Kharagpur and Prof. Arnab Roy, Professor, Department of Aerospace Engineering, IIT Kharagpur.
“The collaboration with IIT Kharagpur represents an important milestone in BIT Mesra’s pursuit of academic excellence, impactful research, and innovation-led growth,” said Prof. Indranil Manna, who signed the agreement on behalf of the institution. “Through this partnership, we aim to create new opportunities for our students and faculty while contributing to national priorities through collaborative research and technology development.”
The signing brings together two institutions with roots in the decade immediately after Indian independence. BIT Mesra was established in 1955 and elevated to the status of a deemed university in 1986. IIT Kharagpur, founded in 1951, is the first of the IITs and is recognised as an Institute of National Importance.
The MoU spans joint supervision of Master’s and Ph.D. students, undergraduate and postgraduate research collaborations, student and faculty exchange, summer and winter internships and joint submission of research proposals to national and international funding agencies. It also includes shared access to research facilities, faculty development programmes, staff and officer training, and joint academic activities such as seminars, workshops, GIAN courses and micro-credit courses.
Both institutions will also explore a Joint Integrated M.Tech. Ph.D. Programme and dual-degree pathways under the agreement. A Joint MoU Implementation Committee, comprising representatives from both institutions, will oversee progress with biannual reviews.
For BIT Mesra students in particular, the MoU opens access to IIT Kharagpur’s research infrastructure and faculty. Students become eligible for joint research projects, visits to IIT Kharagpur’s specialised laboratories, co-supervision at the postgraduate level and participation in specialised academic and research programmes offered under the collaboration.
Prof. Suman Chakraborty, Director, IIT Kharagpur, said “the MoU will facilitate knowledge sharing, joint research initiatives and capacity building, benefiting both institutions and the broader academic community.”
This partnership aligns with the objectives of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which encourages greater inter-institutional collaboration, interdisciplinary research and innovation.
For both institutions, located in eastern India, the agreement identifies collaboration areas including artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, energy, climate resilience, water resources and defence technologies sectors directly relevant to the region’s economic profile.
Designated coordinators will manage execution of the MoU. For BIT Mesra: the Dean of Research, Innovation & Entrepreneurship (DRIE) as Coordinator and Prof. Abhijit Mustafi, Department of Computer Science & Engineering, as Joint Coordinator. For IIT Kharagpur: Prof. Pabitra Mitra, Department of Computer Science & Engineering, as Coordinator and Prof. Arnab Roy, Department of Aerospace Engineering, as Joint Coordinator. Both teams report to the Joint MoU Implementation Committee on a biannual basis.
