BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus and Goa University sign MoU to collaborate on academic and research advances

 BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus, a renowned institution known for its commitment to innovation has signed an MoU with Goa University (GU) to lead academic and research partnership in areas of mutual interest in the form of collaborative research projects and publications, joint workshops, seminars and conferences. This MoU will also allow students of Goa University and its Colleges to pursue their PhD programmes and project work at BITS Pilani.  It will also support exchange of academic and scholarly information between the faculty and students of both the institutions of higher learning.

As part of the agreement, faculty of both, BITS Pilani and Goa University will collaborate in supervision of students and in joint research in disciplines of mutual interest.  GU and its colleges will send B.Tech/M.Tech/B.E./M.E./B.Sc./M.Sc/MA/Ph.D. students to a BITS Pilani campus. This MoU will facilitate in providing GU students an opportunity to explore the option to undertake a research project at BITS Pilani and be considered for admission to PhD programme at BITS Pilani.  While undertaking the research project, the student may take courses to satisfy the credit requirements for the courses registered at GU. It is proposed to explore the Sandwich Model of Doctoral programmes between the institutes, through which, students registered with the GU and BITS Pilani will be able to visit for minimum six to twelve months period for their research work.

Speaking about the MoU, Director of BITS Pilani, Goa Campus, Prof. Suman Kundu said ‘BITS Pilani is synonymous with world-class education and research capabilities. We understand and value the relevance of academic collaborations and our partnership with Goa University is an important step towards providing students with the right exposure to research subjects and diverse faculty support. We believe that this collaboration will set a new benchmark for higher education research capabilities for students in India, paving the way for better research and citation. Our collaboration in the local context will create a significant platform for students in Goa to nurture their skills and learn from each other.’

The Vice Chancellor of Goa University, Prof. Harilal B Menon said ‘A MoU between GU and BITS Pilani is very pertinent to offer technology-driven courses at the University as part of undergraduate general education. The strategic partnership is aimed at enhancing educational opportunities in parallel with NEP based curriculum, which the University has already implemented across the state of Goa at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Moreover, the research centers that the University is establishing will be augmented with the know-how of resource persons in technology domain from BITS Pilani’. He has also indicated that this will encourage faculty members to go for joint R&D projects and dual degree PhD programs.

Prof. Harilal B Menon, Vice Chancellor of Goa University and Prof. Suman Kundu, Director BITS Pilani Goa Campus signed the MoU for academic collaboration between the two institutions on 10th October 2023.  This MoU will also bring within its ambit all the 64 affiliated colleges governed by Goa University. On behalf of BITS Pilani, Goa Campus Prof. Bharat Deshpande (Associate Dean, Academic – Graduate Studies & Research) and Prof. Meenal Kowshik (Dean – Administration) while Prof. V S Nadkarni (Registrar of Goa University) along with Deans of all Schools of GU attended the MoU signing function hosted at the Goa University. BITS Pilani is in the process of entering into such collaborations with reputed institutions across India and abroad.