National Institute of Technology, Patna, will be developed as a centre of excellence focusing on research, involving its own teachers as well as those from other institutions.

“As part of an initiative to develop our institute as a centre of excellence, we would focus more on research work engaging teachers and students,” said Asok De, the director of National Institute of Technology (NIT), Patna.

The institute has decided to take help from other agencies, institutes and universities as well as teachers and researchers from these institutions. The findings of the research projects would be sent to the government so that those could be put to use.

Vivekanand Singh, a teacher of the civil engineering department and the co-ordinator of the centre of excellence project, said: “Research on environment and climate changes would be given preference.”

The institute recently got a project — impact of climate changes on water resources in the Ganga basin — from the ministry of water resources.

“Apart from teachers, MTech and PhD students are also members of the research team,” said a source at the NIT, adding that the institute had recently launched an MTech-PhD programme on the lines of the one at IIT-Bombay.

The benefit of the programme is that a student can earn an MTech and a PhD in four years instead of six. It would also promote research among students. The NIT has tie-ups with other universities and is a member of the Fulbright-Nehru Fellowships that provide funds to scholars to undertake study, research or training in US.

A civil engineering masters student, wishing anonymity, said: “The authorities want to develop the NIT as a centre of excellence but it should first upgrade the infrastructure.”