Lt. Gen. (Dr.) MD Venkatesh, Vice-Chancellor at the Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) said: “We are delighted to welcome the delegation from The University of Manchester to MAHE, Manipal, and sign the Memorandum of Understanding. This collaboration reflects our shared commitment to advancing research, fostering innovation, and creating new opportunities for students and faculty across both institutions.

“We look forward to deepening our engagement through joint research initiatives, co-supervised PhDs, and academic exchange programmes, especially in healthcare, biological sciences, and engineering. Together, we aim to drive impactful outcomes that benefit our academic communities and society at large.”

Professor G.U. Kulkarni, President at Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) said: “The signing of this Letter of Intent marks an important step toward strengthening research collaboration between both institutions, particularly in the field of materials science. The collaboration will enable both institutions, known for their academic excellence, to derive benefits from synergy between them and be a fruitful platform for new initiatives.”

These new partnerships build upon the University’s established relationships with the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (IIT Kharagpur), Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Ashoka University, and O.P. Jindal Global University.

The University of Manchester was the first UK university to launch a joint PhD programme with an Indian institution, the dual award PhD with IIT Kharagpur, in 2021. Today, the University’s joint programmes with IIT Kharagpur and IISc nurture early career scholars from across India.

The University of Manchester also works closely with industry partners in India. A long-standing relationship with Tata Steel has seen the establishment of a Centre for Innovation in Advanced Materials at the Henry Royce Institute, which is focused on medical, 2D and second-life materials to emphasise the importance of reusing and recycling resources.

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