NIPER partners with Nalanda University on faculty, student exchange and joint research programmes

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaApril 24, 2024

National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) Guwahati has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with ASEAN-India Network of Universities that will enable the premier pharmaceutical science institute of Northeast to participate in faculty exchange programmes, doctoral student exchange and joint research programmes as well as joint PhD research supervision programmes with higher education institutions of the ASEAN countries. 

NIPER Guwahati director Dr USN Murty signed the MoU with Nalanda University VC Prof Abhay Kumar Singh for academic collaboration with higher education institutions of the ASEAN countries viz. Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. 

Nalanda University is the nodal institution of ASEAN-India Network of Universities.

ASEAN-India Network of Universities (AINU) was envisioned and announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit in New Delhi in January 2018. It was launched at ASEAN Secretariat Headquarters in Jakarta on August 29, 2022, jointly by India’s Union minister of state for external affairs & education, Dr Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, and secretary general of ASEAN, Dato Lim Jock Hoi, in the presence of deputy secretaries-general of ASEAN, Permanent representatives of the ASEAN member states, and vice-chancellor of Nalanda University. 

The mandate of the AINU is to build a consortium that will bring institutions in India and ASEAN member states together for new research in emerging areas of knowledge, to build human capital and a think-tank through joint research and joint PhD research supervision, doctoral student exchange, and faculty exchange. 

The major focus areas include Engineering, Science and Technology, Policy and Law-making, Trade and Investments, Peace and Security, Sustainable Development, Humanities, Religion, Cultural Intersections and Blue Economy.

After signing the agreement, NIPER Guwahati director Dr USN Murty said, “We are excited to join the AINU consortium as it will open tremendous opportunities for our faculty and students. I am certain that the honest vision of our Prime Minister Narendra Modi in building cohesion between the higher education institutions in India and the ASEAN member states will become a success and a new knowledge ecosystem in the region will be built to address the region-specific challenges of the 21st century”.

Commenting on the association, Nalanda University VC Prof Abhay Kumar Singh said,”AINU provides teaching faculty from India and ASEAN member states with the opportunity for academic interactions. Collaborating through visits to each other’s institutions will not only foster better understanding but also lead to broader collaboration and a more comprehensive Asian perspective on knowledge, research, and development”.