The University of Waterloo Deepens International Partnerships by Signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, India

Monday, April 11, 2022

The University of Waterloo has signed a broad-based Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IITD), India, with the aim of supporting a range of activities across talent, research, and community areas. "We are delighted to further strengthen our connections with one of the world's outstanding universities. There is great potential for collaborative work between our two communities that will not only have an impact within our respective universities, but also much beyond." says Prof. Ian Rowlands, Associate Vice-President, International, at the University of Waterloo, and one of the signatories of this MOU.

The University of Waterloo and IITD have a long history of collaboration. Agreements between the two universities date back almost 20 years. Additionally, several graduates from one university work at the other. The new MOU furthers this commitment to bilateral engagement as a result of our recent collaborations.

The recent engagements started when Waterloo International connected with the IITD International on August 27, 2021, for a virtual meeting. Prof. Ian Rowlands, and Prof. Naveen Garg, (Dean of International Programmes, IITD) touched on multiple ways to deepen the relationships between the universities.  

One outcome of the discussions between the international offices was the Innovation Lab that took place on November 27, 2021, led by the Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy (WISE). Students from both universities were presented with two real-world case studies highlighting the challenges Canadian and Indian communities face in accessing affordable and clean energy. 

Another outcome was the connection between Waterloo's Office of Research and the IITD's Industrial Research and Development Unit on November 2, 2021. Drew Knight, former Director, Global Research and Strategic Alliances of the University of Waterloo virtually met with Prof. Sunil K Khare, Dean of Research from IITD. The productive discussions led to research activity mapping and identifying overlapping priority research areas for both institutions.

With the new MOU in place, a call for a jointly funded collaborative research project proposal will open for interested tenured and tenure-track faculty members on April 18, 2022. The deadline for submission of proposals will be on June 17, 2022. The Office of Research welcomes proposals from all fields, with preference given to Automotive Research, Nanotechnology, Quantum Computing and Electronics Technology. If you have any questions, please contact Monica Finlay, Grants & Contracts Manager, Office of Research, at monica.finlay@uwaterloo.ca

For anyone who has any questions or comments about Waterloo's engagement with IITD, please contact Ishari Waduwara-Jayabahu, International Relations Manager, Waterloo International, at international.relations@uwaterloo.ca