AMRITSAR:Exchanging scientific information freely, forging cooperative research, hosting students and faculty, and sharing agricultural technology to promote the development and use of drought- and pest-resistant crops. These will be just a few of the collaborations that will be strengthened when Guru Nanak Dev University, which is among the best universities in India, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ICAR-Indian Institute of Maize Research on Thursday. In a historical and strategically development, Guru Nanak Dev University Amritsar has entered into a partnership with ICAR-Indian Institute of Maize Research, Ludhiana , an autonomous body responsible for co-ordinating agricultural education and research in India, as well as other related matters of mutual interest. A formal “MoU” was signed between GNDU Vice -Chancellor Professor Jaspal Singh Sandhu and & Dr. Sujay Rakshit, Director, ICAR-Indian Institute of Maize Research recently. The collaboration will increase the number of academic and student exchange opportunities between the institutes.
Our students will receive the tools to tackle some of the most pressing concerns of the modern world: the need for efficient and modern agriculture to optimize and improve food production and the methods and technologies to increase and improve water availability and quality, all while keeping in mind the environmental concerns, ” Prof. Sandhu said.
Prof Sandhu further said, “This collaboration is an immense opportunity to promote agriculture research and to facilitate the exchange of ideas, the development of new knowledge and to enhance global research acumen through these hubs. The modes of cooperation could include faculty visits for collaboration in research, student mobility programs for learning, development of cooperative research projects and dissemination of finding through scholarly publication.
Dr. Sujay Rakshit in his message said “This MoU is for taking up site-specific transfer of technologies under sustainable agriculture, integrated farming system, crop intensification, agro-forestry, plantation and horticulture, animal sciences, and agri-engineering including post-harvest technologies. The ICAR will also help in the impact evaluation of the GNDU assisted projects, Detailed Project Planning (DPR) preparation for the climate change projects, farm mechanization, Agri-Incubation Centres and Farmer Producers’ Organisations (FPOs) and resource conservation. The ICAR is a premier organization in the country with the mandate of agriculture, research, extension and education leading the country’s National Agricultural Research and Extension System with a large network of 113 institutes, 75 State Agricultural Universities (SAU) and Central Universities and 716 Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVK) across the country.
Dr. Preet Mohinder Singh Bedi, Coordinator University Industry linkage Programme said “Through closer collaboration and shared expertise, we will gain a deeper insight into our ground-breaking research and fulfil our joint ambition to address some of the biggest challenges facing society today. “Furthering academic and student exchange programmes will also enrich both ICAR and GNDU communities, enabling them to develop and grow intellectually, culturally and socially”. Dr. Bedi said 'University is delighted that we have successfully established a strategic partnership with ICAR. We can contribute our expertise here to this newly-formed strategic partnership and develop our existing contacts to the ICAR in areas of mutual interest. I believe this will provide a new impetus for research in punjab. The MoU cover the scope of interaction among members of faculty relating to joint research projects, visits for such purposes and when necessary, joint applications for research funding from external funding agencies.