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Wellington, November 29, 2020
Auckland University of Technology (AUT) has strengthened its ties with India with a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras, stated to be the first of its kind for a New Zealand University.
The MOU was signed virtually and will take effect in 2021.
AUT also received India’s High Commissioner to New Zealand Muktesh Pardeshi last fortnight.
Along with his Second Secretary Paramjeet Singh, Mr Pardeshi met AUT Vice-Chancellor Derek McCormack, Pro Vice-Chancellor (International and Dean of Design and Creative Technologies) Professor Guy Littlefair, academics of Indian origin and international students during the visit.
Professor Littlefair said that the MoU formalised the well-established history between the two universities which has included joint research activities, funding applications and collaborative postgraduate programmes.
Opportunities and Prospects
“The opportunities presented in this partnership will allow students and staff tremendous prospects to enhance binational relations for the benefit of both countries and universities,” Professor Littlefair said.
IIT Madras Dean (Global Engagement) Professor Raghunathan Rengaswamy agreed, saying that the MoU will enable mobility of students, joint research and joint supervision of students and collaborative masters and doctoral programmes.
Ranked as the Number One technical university in India IIT Madras is known globally for its research capabilities. Its location brings students and educational partners closer to India’s hub for information technology, industrial consultancy and the automotive sector.
Impact of Covid-19
Mr Rengaswamy said that Covid-19 delayed some planned student exchange initiatives.
“But work is underway with academics and potential online student internships. AUT recently supported IIT Madras as foreign collaborator for joint research funding application with their Department of Science and Technology and the Government of India. New Zealand students will get a chance to do their internships/final year project at IIT madras considering the feel and excitement associated with studying at IIT especially for Indian origin students,” he said.
About Auckland University of Technology
AUT is New Zealand’s second largest university with almost 30,000 students across three campuses. Home to more than 60 world-class research institutes and centres, AUT remains the third ranked university in New Zealand, is ranked first in New Zealand for global research impact and for its international outlook, and in the top 1% of universities in the world. AUT’s mission is to create great graduates, and it embraces new technologies to lead the learning of tomorrow and prepare students for the rapidly changing world of work and society.
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