DIAT inks pact with Oz varsity

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed by the Deakin University, Australia and the Defence Institute of Advanced Technology (DIAT), India’s only Defence University, to collaborate in research projects and exchange of academia and helping the Industry mutually.

Vice chancellor of Deakin University Jane den Hollander and Vice Chancellor of DIAT, Dr Prahlada signed the pact and exchanged the documents in Hyderabad on Tuesday.

Speaking on the occasion, Professor den Hollander said the new partnership would drive greater understanding and cooperation not only between the two institutions, but also between Australia and India.

“Deakin was the first university in the world to set up an office in India, and today’s announcement is a clear sign that our engagement across education and industry is stronger than ever,” Professor den Hollander said.

Dr Prahlada said India and Australia, two large Commonwealth countries, share a lot of common interests and complementary strengths.

“Just like Deakin University has a national presence in India, DIAT being the only Defence University in the country has a national presence interacting with all the entities of Ministry of Defence,” Dr Prahlada said.

Under the MoU between Deakin and DIAT, the two institutions will explore activities including: Sharing information on potential collaborative research and development projects to facilitate an understanding of their respective expertise, capabilities and requirements; Identifying collaborative research and development projects in the areas of Materials, Functional Textiles including Bio, Steel, but not limited to these areas; Developing a program of joint PhD supervision and explore an initial enrolment of two students under Deakin’s ‘in country’ PhD model; and Prepare jointly authored publications and providing training in postgraduate research and industrial research.; Holding joint workshops, exchange faculty members and foster collaboration between Ph D Students.