Bhubaneswar, May 26: Indian Institute of Technology Bhubaneswar has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Odisha CSR Forum to foster collaboration in the areas of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), sustainability, community development, and capacity-building initiatives across Odisha.
The MoU was formally exchanged between Prof. Shreepad Karmalkar, Director, IIT Bhubaneswar and Brajendra Kumar Mishra, Convener, Odisha CSR Forum on Monday, in the presence of Prof. Dinakar Pasla, Dean (Sponsored Research &Industrial Consultancy) and Prof. Ashis Biswas, Dean (Alumni, Corporate & International Relations); Pradeep Kumar Sahoo, Deputy Registrar (Alumni, Corporate & International Relations) from IIT Bhubaneswar and T.C. Hota from Odisha CSR Forum.
The partnership aims to create a collaborative framework for promoting sustainable development and social impact activities by combining the academic and research strengths of IIT Bhubaneswar with the industry and CSR expertise of Odisha CSR Forum.
As part of the collaboration, both organizations will jointly undertake training programmes, workshops, seminars, conferences, CSR conclaves, stakeholder consultations, and consultancy assignments related to CSR strategy, sustainability reporting, ESG, skill development, and social impact assessment. The MoU also envisages joint implementation of projects in areas such as education, health, environment, livelihood, rural development, renewable energy, climate change, and community development.
The agreement further emphasizes student and youth engagement through volunteer participation in CSR initiatives and outreach programmes, while also supporting scholarships and fellowships for meritorious and economically weaker students.
Speaking on the collaboration, officials from both institutions highlighted the importance of multi-stakeholder partnerships in addressing emerging societal and developmental challenges. The collaboration is expected to strengthen CSR-led community development initiatives and create a platform for knowledge-sharing and impactful interventions across Odisha.
