The Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (IIT-K) and the University at Buffalo, USA (UB) have signed a cooperation agreement to enrich research in biomedicine and bioengineering.

The agreement was signed by Prof. Abhay Karandikar, Director, IIT-Kanpur, and Prof A Scott Weber, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, University of Buffalo.

By signing this cooperation agreement, IIT-K and UB have agreed to establish the IITK-UB Joint Center of Excellence in Biomedicine and Bioengineering at IIT-Kanpur premises. The centre is being established with the objective to facilitate long-term collaborations in education and research between IIT-Kanpur and University at Buffalo, as well as other institutions.

The research focus of this Centre will be on developing materials and technologies for both in vitro (studies performed with cells) and in vivo (studies performed with animals) applications in biosciences.

Upon signing the agreement, Prof Abhay Karandikar, Director, IIT-Kanpur, said: “The agreement we signed today with University at Buffalo is in continuation to an existing MoU between the two institutes. Both the institutes have strategic objectives to collaborate for research that would help us build a robust ecosystem in Biomedicine and Bioengineering.”

“The Center aims to develop materials & technologies for bioscience applications and facilitate long-term joint research collaborations. We’re confident that this Center would provide several opportunities to our researchers, faculty and students in taking forward research in these core areas,” he said.

The formation of the Center under the agreement would facilitate exchange of students and researchers between IIT Kanpur and University at Buffalo; along with facilitating collaborative research and training programs; joint conferences, thematic workshops and exchange of scholarly material.

The cooperation agreement comes after a Joint Degree Program agreement that was signed between IIT-K and UB in 2017, to provide selected doctoral students at either institutes the opportunity to conduct research at the partner institute and earn two degrees, one each from IIT-K and UB.