Rourkela: The National Institute of Technology (NIT) Rourkela is exploring international academic and research partnerships to strengthen research capabilities, skill development, employability and the startup ecosystem in Odisha, following a two-day meeting with Japan’s Akita University, officials said on Friday.
The meeting, held on September 21 and 22, focused on identifying opportunities for collaboration in academics, research, innovation and skill development between the two institutions.
The Akita University delegation was led by Prof. Hikari Fujii, Vice President and Professor at the Graduate School of International Resource Sciences, accompanied by Tamoko Inaba, General Manager. Ryotaro Hayashi, Senior Social Sector Economist at the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Philippines, joined the discussions on September 22.
The NIT Rourkela delegation was led by Director Prof. K. Umamaheshwar Rao and included the Deans, Registrar, Heads of Departments and Centres, and members of the ADB-THRIVE team.
Vice Chancellors of BPUT Odisha and VSSUT Burla, senior faculty members from IISER Berhampur, OUTR Bhubaneswar, PMEC Berhampur, GCE Keonjhar and IGIT Sarang, as well as scientists from CSIR-IMMT Bhubaneswar, also participated in the meeting.
The discussions covered the participating institutions’ academic programmes, research facilities and institutional strengths, with a focus on joint academic programmes, faculty and student exchanges, collaborative research and innovation initiatives.
Prof. Fujii shared Akita University’s experience in internationalisation, while NIT Rourkela presented its proposal under the ADB-THRIVE scheme of the Ministry of Education, Government of India. The proposal highlighted opportunities to strengthen research, develop industry-relevant skills, improve employability and promote entrepreneurship in Odisha.
Hayashi outlined opportunities for strengthening institutional capacity and enhancing skills through ADB-supported initiatives.
Kadam Sandeep Vasant, Joint Secretary-cum-Mission Head of the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM), Ministry of Mines, Government of India, also participated online and discussed potential areas of collaboration.
As part of the visit, the Akita University delegation toured NIT Rourkela’s Innovation Centre, academic departments, laboratories, campus infrastructure and halls of residence to gain an understanding of the institute’s research capabilities and innovation ecosystem.
The meeting concluded with a shared interest in exploring avenues to strengthen international academic and research partnerships among the participating institutions.
