British Deputy High Commissioner to Gujarat and Rajasthan, Peter Cook. SOURCE: IIT Gandhinagar
A 15-member delegation from the UK, led by Peter Cook, British Deputy High Commissioner to Gujarat and Rajasthan, visited the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN) on June 9. The delegation included senior officials from the Department of Education, UK government; senior functionaries from the University of Birmingham; University of Glasgow; University of Southampton; University of Portsmouth; De Montfort University; and the officials of British Council in India. The delegation held an interactive meeting with IITGN faculty to discuss future collaborations between IITGN and the educational institutions in the UK in academic and research areas. IITGN and universities from the UK also shared key highlights, programmes, and research focus areas of mutual interests.
Welcoming the delegation, S.P. Mehrotra, professor in-charge, External Relations, IITGN, said, “We are delighted that the delegation chose to visit IIT Gandhinagar during their India visit. We have had considerable partnerships with many of the universities in the UK through various projects/programmes. I am sure that this visit by the distinguished group of dignitaries will further strengthen the collaborative activities between IIT Gandhinagar and educational institutions in the UK.”
Gaurav Srivastava, acting director and professor, made a brief presentation on IITGN’s ongoing academic programmes and Research & Development (R&D) activities. He particularly highlighted several new innovative approaches IITGN initiated to differentiate it from other IITs.
During the meeting, Cook said, "When I visited IIT Gandhinagar three years ago, I was very encouraged by the strong desire for international collaborations by the Institute. After a brief interruption in that direction due to the pandemic, this is a wonderful opportunity for us to meet prospective partners in Gujarat. This is also a very important and joint desire by both the countries to strengthen our educational partnerships in the areas of research, innovation, science & technology, and so on. I look forward to the prospective collaborations after this meeting, and my office would be happy to facilitate the introduction and alliance between the institutions.”
IIT Gandhinagar is one of the most globalised campuses in India. Nearly 40% of its graduate and 75%of its PhD students receive study abroad, internship or other experience overseas before they graduate from the Institute. The institute also hosts many international students every year on its campus.