MIT hoping for enhanced collaborations and partnerships with Indian institutions

Updated on: Saturday, March 30, 2013

Hoping for enhanced collaborations and partnerships with Indian institutions in healthcare, renewable resources and education Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) president L Rafael Reif on Friday said that these were important global challenges that had to be addressed together.

Reif, who is in India on a week-long visit, met PM Manmohan Singh besides a host of other representatives from industry and academia, many of whom were MIT alumni.

"There are very important global challenges that MIT wants to work on. The best way for us to make contribution is to find collaborators to work with and explore Indian institutions and individuals that I can collaborate with. We would like to establish collaborations. We believe in working with collaborators and make each other stronger," Reif said. He was participating at a luncheon talk organized by Rai Foundation and Assocham.

Reif, however, said that he did not have any plans to set up campus in India. ``I don't have any intentions or plans to come to India and say we are going to establish an MIT campus here. That is not the plan," he said.

Asked whether he is looking to collaborate with institutions like IIT and AIIMS, Reif said, "I am open. All I need is to identify areas where we are seeking collaborations in institutions and entities and establishments. It is an open book right now. Just find the domain area that we have interest in and try to work on those."

He made a reference to a three-way collaboration involving public, private and academic institutions. "It is all open. Whether it is with the public sector, the government or the private sector. Or it is a three-way private, public, academia enterprise. I am here to talk and engage and I would like us to do something together," Reif said.

Significantly MIT has recently launched edX, a platform that Reif said would ``revolutionize education" by providing courses and content online.

Science and technology minister S Jaipal Reddy, also part of the event, said the scope of the present collaboration in area of biotechnology with MIT can be increased to include other areas of mutual interest.

"We have an ongoing partnership with MIT, particularly in the area of biotechnology. I propose the exchange of scientists from India to MIT and from MIT to India on highly flexible terms, also an understanding between CSIR and MIT," he said.

MIT hoping for enhanced collaborations and partnerships with Indian institutions

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