• The MoU paves the way for future collaborations for exchange of faculty and students, joint research activities, exchange of academic publications and short-term programs/visits.

Kanpur, March 21, 2023: The Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IITK) and the University of California, Santa Cruz, USA (UCSC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for joint academic and research collaborations, at a ceremony held at IIT Kanpur. The MoU paves the way for future collaborations in key areas of research between the two institutes.

The formal agreement was signed by Prof. Abhay Karandikar, Director, IIT Kanpur and Prof. Dhirendra Katti, Dean of International Relations, from IIT Kanpur’s side; and Dr. Cynthia Larive, Chancellor, UCSC, and Ms. Becky George, Assistant Vice Provost of Global Engagement at UCSC, on behalf of UCSC.

Ms. Michelle Whittingham, Associate Vice Chancellor of Enrollment Management at UCSC; Mr. John Pine, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Alumni Engagement at UCSC; Ms. Anna Finn, Associate Chancellor & Chief of Staff, UCSC; Prof. S. Ganesh, Deputy Director, IITK; Prof. A.R. Harish, Dean of Research & Development, IITK; Prof. Shalabh, Dean of Academic Affairs, IITK; Prof. Kantesh Balani, Dean of Resources & Alumni, IITK and Dr. Rajeev Ranjan, President of IITK Foundation, USA were also present at the ceremony.

Commenting on the signing of the MoU, Prof. Abhay Karandikar, Director, IIT Kanpur, said, "We are delighted to partner with the University of California, Santa Cruz, USA, for furthering joint academic initiatives and research collaborations. The MoU marks a significant step in IIT Kanpur’s relentless efforts to forge joint international collaborations across domains. We are confident that this partnership will create new opportunities for our students and faculty members in the form of symposiums, exchange programs, joint publications, and so on. We look forward to working closely with UCSC to strengthen this partnership further."

The research collaborations between IIT Kanpur and the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) will cater to crucial research areas in Computer Science and Engineering, and Biological Sciences and Bioengineering. This partnership will provide opportunities for both institutes to share their expertise, knowledge, and resources to further research and development in these fields.

The exchange of faculty members between the two institutes will enable researchers to work collaboratively on important research initiatives, leveraging the strengths of each institution to address complex scientific challenges. Joint supervision of Ph.D. students will enable students to receive guidance and mentorship from faculty members at both institutions, broadening their knowledge and perspectives.

The research collaborations between IITK and UCSC are expected to focus on a variety of areas, including but not limited to, artificial intelligence, machine learning, data science, bioinformatics, biotechnology, among others. The partnership between the two institutions will enable researchers to conduct interdisciplinary research projects, leveraging the strengths of each institution to address complex challenges in these fields.

About IIT Kanpur:

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur was established on 2nd November 1959 by an Act of Parliament. The institute has a sprawling campus spread over 1055 acres with large pool of academic and research resources spanning across 19 departments, 22 centres, and 3 Interdisciplinary programs in engineering, science, design, humanities, and management disciplines with 540 full-time faculty members and approximately 9000 students. In addition to formal undergraduate and postgraduate courses, the institute has been active in research and development in areas of value to both industry and government.

For more information, visit www.iitk.ac.in.

About University of California, Santa Cruz:

University of California, Santa Cruz is a public university in California and is one of the ten campuses of the University of California system. UCSC was founded in 1965 and offers a cross-disciplinary undergraduate and graduate education combined with innovative teaching methods. The university has two additional campuses – the Silicon Valley Campus at Santa Clara and the Coastal Science Campus at Santa Cruz. UCSC offers 73 undergraduate majors and 65 graduate programs and has long been at the forefront of path-breaking research. It is also home to three Organized Research Units: the Genomics Institute, Institute of Marine Sciences, and Santa Cruz Institute for Particle Physics.