Mumbai: IIT-Bombay and the UK’s Imperial College London have launched a strategic partnership covering research, innovation and education. The two institutions will initially prioritise research in clean technology and medical technology.The new partnership builds on years of successful joint research projects between Indian and British academics. It will enable several key initiatives between the universities, including joint research and innovation programmes, academic workshops and student entrepreneurship programmes. There will also be opportunities for students and researchers to work closely together through placements and exchanges in London and Mumbai, undertake joint projects, and share knowledge and data.Research teams from IIT-Bombay and Imperial are already collaborating on dozens of projects covering areas such as water management, energy security, disease modelling and climate science.One project has brought researchers together to improve the accuracy of remote monitoring of upper-limb movements, with potential applications in diagnostics, physiotherapy and rehabilitation. The research could help develop cheaper and more accessible tools to improve care for patients with neuromusculoskeletal conditions of the arm.Experts from Imperial, IIT-Bombay and industry partners have also come together to support data-driven power sector reforms in India. Another research project is harnessing quantum computing and biotechnology to help farmers grow stronger crops that are more resilient to climate change.Prof Shireesh Kedare, director, IIT-Bombay, said, “This strategic partnership marks an important step in strengthening the longstanding ties… By bringing together our complementary strengths in research, innovation and education, we aim to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time, particularly in areas such as clean technology and medical technology.”This year, 170 students from IIT-Bombay also signed up for Imperial Enterprise Lab’s Global Challenge Lab, a platform that helps participants develop a startup idea from scratch, with mentoring from global industry experts.
