The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati on November 27 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with IIT, Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Varanasi, to start a joint doctoral programme in July, 2021. Directors of both the Institutes, Prof. TG Sitharam of IIT Guwahati, and Prof Pramod Kumar Jain of IIT (BHU) said that this is the first time in the country that two IITs have come together to offer a joint degree programme.
The idea of a joint PhD programme was originally proposed by Prof. TG Sitharam in 53rd IIT Council Meeting held on 27th September 2019.
The vision behind this agreement is to build a "Network of Excellence" of all IITs rather than each one striving to become a "Tower of Excellence", IIT Guwahati said.
The IIT Council accepted the proposal to start Joint Degree Programs. Through this academic collaboration, both the institutes are expecting a significant boost in high-quality research and foundation for further academic collaborations.
Under the National Education Policy (NEP2020), academic collaborations between premier educational institutes will promote multidisciplinary academic programs and research for encouraging and promoting a knowledge-based economy of the country.
IIT BHU is also considering to start a joint MTech program on similar lines to provide multi-institutional and multidisciplinary MTech programs. IIT Guwahati has also agreed to be part of this initiative.
