Bhubaneswar, May 26: The Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan Deemed to be University (SOA) and ICAR-Central Rice Research Institute (ICAR-CRRI), Cuttack, on Tuesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a long-term collaborative partnership aimed at promoting student training and enhancing quality post-graduate studies in areas of rice research, climate-smart agriculture and allied sectors involving cutting-edge agricultural research.
ICAR-CRRI is a premier institution engaged in rice research while the Institute of Agricultural Sciences (IAS) and the Centre for Industrial Biotechnology Research (CIBR) are institutions under SOA which are involved in under-graduate, post-graduate and doctoral education, research and training in agriculture, horticulture, industrial biotechnology, microbiology and other allied disciplines.
As part of the collaboration, scientists from ICAR-CRRI will serve as co-guides and members of advisory committees for research scholars. Students, faculty members and research scholars from SOA will also undertake research-related activities utilizing the institutional facilities of both organisations.
The operational framework of the collaboration will include common research programs and collaborative projects within approved disciplines and specific mandated research domains.
The MoU was signed by Prof. Pradipta Kumar Nanda, Vice-Chancellor of SOA, and Dr. G.A.K. Kumar, Director of ICAR-CRRI, Cuttack. The MoU signing ceremony was attended, among others, by Prof. Santosh Kumar Rout, Dean, IAS, Prof. H.N. Thatoi, Director, CIBR, Dr. Anshuman Jena, Associate Professor, IAS and Dr. Megha Kaviraj, Assistant Professor, CIBR.
As per the agreement, research instrumentation and library facilities available at both SOA and ICAR-CRRI will be accessible to faculty members and research scholars. The collaboration will also facilitate the exchange of students for academic, research and training purposes, strengthening cooperation in education and scientific research.
