UP News - University of Potsdam

Media information 19-11-2024 / No. 107

Photo : Nura van Dongen

Delegation from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Roorkee, India visits the University of Potsdam

A delegation from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Roorkee (India), led by its Director Prof. Dr. K.K. Pant[RJ1] , visited the University of Potsdam on November 18. The UP has been working closely with IIT Roorkee for many years. There are joint research interests, particularly in environmental sciences and hazard research, which led to cooperation within the "NatRiskChange" research training group a few years ago. In addition, researchers from both institutions are collaborating closely in the environmental science project Co-PREPARE to better assess natural hazards and the associated risks in Europe and the Himalayas. From now on, the two research institutes want to cooperate even more closely and extend their collaboration to other disciplines and topics, including computer science and research into new materials such as biodegradable plastics and clean energy. There are also plans for an intensified exchange in the area of knowledge and technology transfer, in which IIT Roorkee and the University of Potsdam are both national leaders. Beyond that, the two institutions have used their successful collaboration as a starting point to initiate cooperation between the Indian state of Uttarakhand and the state of Brandenburg. Talks on this are to continue in India early next year.

"Our long-standing cooperation with IIT Roorkee is an extraordinary example of successful knowledge exchange that benefits everyone involved," said the President of the University of Potsdam, Prof. Oliver Günther, Ph.D. "We are confident that, in the coming years, the University of Potsdam and IIT will be able to work together with great results in many other areas – and that this relationship can serve as a model for productive German-Indian cooperation at a higher level."
Potsdam researchers of physics, materials research, chemistry, and computer science were present at the talks to discuss opportunities for future projects in other disciplines. Transfer experts from both institutions also discussed possible links with regard to cooperation in the field of technology transfer. As for the environmental scientists who also want to continue the successful cooperation: The researchers hope to receive funding approval from the German Research Foundation (DFG) in November for a joint international research training group that professors from Potsdam and colleagues from IIT want to set up. "If successful, this would form the basis for further top-class collaboration in research and higher education for the next five to ten years," said Potsdam hydrologist Prof. Dr. Axel Bronstert.
Founded in 1847, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Roorkee, India became a member of the prestigious IIT Group in 2001 and is one of the best technical universities in India today. Since 2020, researchers from both universities have been working together, e.g. on the "Co-PREPARE" research project for the analysis, assessment, and prediction of natural risks in the Himalayan region, which is funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) on the German side. One of the initiators of "Co-PREPARE" is an Indian doctoral student from the "NatRiskChange" research training group at the University of Potsdam, who is now a professor at IIT Roorkee.

Photo:
2024_107_IIT Roorkee_Photo_NuravanDongen: A delegation from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Roorkee (India) visits the University of Potsdam. Photo: Nura van Dongen

Contact:
Prof. Dr. Axel Bronstert, Institute of Environmental Sciences and Geography
E-Mail: axel.bronstertuuni-potsdampde
Phone: +49 331 977-2548

Media information 19-11-2024 / Nr. 107

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