Alison Richard

Vice-chancellor of Cambridge University Professor Alison Richard visited Calcutta for the third time in as many years on Friday. But there was no concrete announcement from the delegation to show for the iconic institution’s continuing interest in the city.

“Our volume and depth of activity with partners in India are burgeoning. Seven MoUs were signed last year with universities and private sector partners,” she affirmed at the Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The partners include IIT Mumbai and National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore. None are from Bengal.

But the vice-chancellor pointed out that she was “not terribly focussed on MoUs”. “This visit explores where there is a fit between Cambridge’s needs and India’s priorities.”

One such exploration here was a meeting with the vice-chancellor of Jadavpur University (JU). “They were interested in finding out about our solar energy renewal mission,” said JU vice-chancellor Pradip Narayan Ghosh.

“We are here to deepen relationships. For that you need to keep coming back,” said Sandra Dawson, deputy vice-chancellor.