Bhubaneswar, Feb. 22: The European Union (EU), which is presently implementing Horizon 2020, its biggest funding program for research globally, is keen to explore possibilities of collaboration with the research and academic community in Odisha.
A delegation of European Research and Innovation officials, led by Ms. Tania Friederichs, Head of Research and Innovation, EU Delegation to India, on Thursday visited the SOA (Deemed to be University) to explore opportunities for international collaboration and exchange in different fields.
The delegates had wide ranging discussion with the SOA Vice-Chancellor Prof. Amit Banerjee, the Dean (Research and Development), Prof. Pradipta Kumar Nanda and other academic and research heads. The delegation comprised science, technology and innovation counselors, attaches and directors of institutes from European countries.
Ms. Friedrichs said that Horizon 2020, an 80 billion Euros program being implemented over seven years since 2014, was primarily targeted at excellence in science, industrial leadership and societal challenges.
“The purpose of our visit is to learn more about SOA initiatives in academics, research, innovation and technology transfer and SOA’s expectations regarding possible cooperation with Europe, both at the EU level and with the countries represented in the delegation,” she said adding “we wish to inform you about various cooperation and funding opportunities for collaborative research and innovation as well as mobility and skill development schemes in Horizon 2020.”
Prof. Banerjee, who welcomed the delegation, said SOA would definitely look forward to fruitful cooperation with the European Universities and institutions of excellence. “We have to find out where we can collaborate,” he said.
Prof. Nanda made a presentation about SOA, presently ranked the 20th best university in the country, which is the youngest Deemed to be University to find a place among the top twenty.
Dr. Vivek Dham, Advisor-Coordinator, Research and Innovation to the delegation, explained the objectives of the visit while representatives of different European nations made presentations about the possibilities and opportunities in their respective countries. It was followed by an intense interactive discussion.
Some members of the visiting delegation expressed happiness that SOA already had MoUs with universities in their countries.
Besides Ms. Friedrichs and Dr. Dham, the other members of the delegation included Mr. Alain Ghislain Baetens, First Secretary in the Embassy of Belgium, Ms. Anna Lunander, Counsellor, Innovation and Science in the Embassy of Sweden, Ms. Inger Midtkandal, Science and Technology Counsellor at the Royal Norweigian Embassy, Dr. Srinivas Kaveri from the Embassy of France, Dr. Indraneel Ghose, Senior Thematic Advisor for Education, Research and Innovation, Embassy of Switzerland, Mr. Andrzej Stuczynski, Third Secretary, Economic Section in the Embassy of Poland, Mr. Sune Kaur-Pedersen, Counsellor, Innovation and Research at the Danish Embassy, Dr. Hilda Viola Farkas, Counsellor for Science and Technology, Embassy of Hungary and Dr. Massimo Spadoni, Scientific Attache in the Embassy of Italy.
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