S. Vishnu Sharma
Foreign delegation visits IIT M – Science delegation from RWTH Aachen University in Germany visited Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M) recently. The visiting delegation was led by RWTH Aachen University’s rector Professor Ulrich Rudiger.
The delegation visited IIT-M to celebrate the decade long collaboration between both the institutions. Speaking at a programme at IIT Madras Research Park in Chennai, Mr. Walter J. Lindner, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to India said various issues are currently bothering the world like over-population, global warming, environmental degradation and lack of resources. These problems can have a huge impact on the world which is expected to hit eleven billion.
Foreign delegation visits IIT M
Educational institutions like IIT Madras have the capability to come up with solutions to these problems that are bothering the world. ‘I am happy that Germany could contribute to the foundation of this institute sixty years ago.’
IIT Madras director Bhaskar Ramamurthi said many important projects related to sustainability, land use, and waste management are being done at the Indo-German Centre for Sustainability (IGCS) which is an important centre of collaboration between IIT Madras and RWTH Aachen University and has grown over the years.
The new focus on coastal management now is due to climate change. The Institute has set up 37 large Centres of Excellence, which are interdisciplinary in nature and involve faculty and students from various departments. IIT Madras does nearly 1,000 projects a year, including with 250 Indian companies and a fair number of international companies as well, he said.
Ulrich Rüdiger said their university is also working with the industry along the lines of the model adopted by IIT Madras Research Park. Our joint history dates back to 1959 when RWTH Aachen University supported the foundation of IIT Madras. In 1966, the two Institutions formed the first German-Indian University partnership. In 2016, the strategic partnership of ‘Sister Universities’ was initiated between the two universities.
Around 1,400 Indian students study at RWTH, the second largest contingent of foreign students in the university, said Ulrich. Bhaskar Ramamurthi was conferred RWTH Honorary Fellow Award. He received the award from Professor Ulrich Rüdiger.
It is interesting to note that, since 2016, RWTH and IIT Madras have been receiving financial support under the program Indo-German Partnerships in Higher Education funded by German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and University Grants Commission (UGC).
Foreign delegation visits IIT M
This helped significantly to enhance the strategic partnership by implementing targeted measures aimed at increasing exchange at all levels and at institutionalizing the cooperation. It has resulted in over 100 visits so far and the initiation of joint research projects in a variety of subjects.