Mumbai: Two of the premier institutes of India, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay(IITB)  and Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), have jointly agreed to collaborate to establish a National Centre for Mathematics (NCM) in the premises of  IIT Bombay. The two institutes will enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for an initial period of ten years to facilitate the establishment of NCM.
 
Mumbai has the largest concentration of mathematicians in India with majority of them at TIFR, IIT Bombay and Mumbai University. IIT Bombay and TIFR are therefore, in a unique position to establish a National Centre for Mathematics. The institutes possess well-developed mathematics departments with international reputation. Moreover, faculty members in these two departments have strong research groups who will help organize various programmes of the Center throughout the year.
 
NCM will be modelled largely on the famous Oberwolfach Mathematics Research Institute (MFO), Germany that started in 1944 and played an important role in re-establishing Germany as a leading nation in mathematics, post the Second World War. There are about 50 week-long international workshops and conferences per year at Oberwolfach. NCM aims to have workshops, conferences, instructional schools year-round for students, young teachers and researchers.
 
Prof. Devang Khakhar, Director of IIT Bombay said, "Research and advanced education in Mathematics are vital for the development of science and industry in India.  The National Centre for Mathematics, which we are establishing today, together with TIFR will contribute to these by conducting workshop and conferences, drawing upon the expertise of leading scholars from India and abroad.  We hope that the centre will become a vibrant hub for discussion of new ideas, will catalyse research and a vehicle to promote collaborative research."
 
Dr. Mustansir Barma, Director, TIFR said, "Mathematics and its applications are vital for the progress of our country. We hope and expect that the National Centre for Mathematics will make a useful contribution to the mathematical life of the scientific community in various ways, ranging from conducting research conferences at the highest level, to conducting training programs for PhD students as well as for scientists and engineers engaged in applications of mathematics. The Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) shares these goals with IIT Bombay, and looks forward to a long and fruitful collaboration with IIT Bombay in setting up and running this joint Centre."

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