A two-member team from Universiti Teknologi Petronas, a private varsity in Malaysia, visited IIT(ISM), Dhanbad, on Thursday to explore areas of collaboration in petroleum engineering, mining engineering, applied geology and applied geophysics.

The team, comprising professor of the department of computer and information sciences Junzo Watada and associate professor of earth science Eswaran Padmanabhan, held discussions with IIT(ISM) director Durga Charan Panigrahi. Others who took part in the meeting included dean (academics) G. Uday Bhanu and dean in-charge of international relation Bishwajit Choudhary.

Watada and Padmanabhan also visited the departments and took stock of their teaching and research facilities.

Officials of both the institutes exchanged the draft of an MoU, which would be signed at a later date after a decision is reached on the areas of co-operation.

Universiti Teknologi Petronas - an educational wing of Malaysia's Petroliam Nasional Berhad - has expertise in petroleum engineering, applied geology and applied geophysics.

"IIT(ISM), Dhanbad, also has a long experience of teaching and research in petroleum and mining engineering and applied geology and geophysics. Therefore, there is enough scope of collaboration in launching of courses and undertaking research projects," Bhanu said, adding that the students and faculty of the mining cradle can visit the varsity in Malaysia and vice-versa under the exchange programme.