IIT Gandhinagar and the University of Durham, United Kingdom have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for educational, cultural and scientific cooperation. The new agreement is set to facilitate student, faculty and knowledge exchanges between both the institutes for research and academic activities.
The MoU was signed by Prof S P Mehrotra, Professor-in-Charge (External Relations), IITGN and Prof Claire O’Malley, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Global), University of Durham, UK at a virtual ceremony.
Prof S P Mehrotra, Professor-in-Charge (External Relations), IITGN, said, “IITGN has always believed in effective collaborations with academic institutions across the globe. This MoU is of great importance to us to further our globalisation objectives. I hope that this collaboration will significantly benefit both sides.”
“India is a very important partner for us and this partnership with IITGN fits well with our collaboration objectives in South Asia. I am sure that this collaboration is just the start of some tremendous research partnership between both the institutions,” said Prof Claire O’Malley, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Global), University of Durham, UK.
The ceremony was followed by a joint seminar on archaeology named, “Understanding the challenges of world heritage sites and the role of Archaeology in the global context.”
“Unlike typical MoUs, where the faculty engagement occurs at a later stage, here IITGN faculty in Earth Sciences and Archaeology disciplines are already collaborating with faculty members of Durham University,” the press release by IITGN stated.
The first talk of the seminar was delivered by Prof V N Prabhakar, Associate Professor, Archaeological Sciences Centre, IITGN, on ‘The Harappan City of Dholavira and Challenges of UNESCO World Heritage Status’. The second talk was given by Prof C V Sharada, Assistant Professor Archaeological Sciences Centre, IITGN, and continued on the topic, ‘Continuities of Harappan Traditions: Glimpses from Modern Communities’.
Prof Sarah Semple, Head of Department, Department of Archaeology, Durham University, UK, delivered the third lecture of the seminar on ‘Archaeology and Community: Enriching Understanding and Skills through Archaeology and Heritage from the Local to Global’. The final talk at the seminar – ‘From Kathmandu’s Earthquake to the Bombing of Jaffna Fort: the Role of Archaeology in South Asian Post-Disaster Heritage Responses’, featured Prof Robin Coningham, UNESCO Professor, Department of Archaeology, Durham University, UK.
