IITB-BNCA MOU: A New Era of Partnership in Education and Research

IITB-BNCA MOU

PUNE: A formal agreement was signed recently between MKSSS’s Dr Bhanuben Nanavati College Of Architecture For Women (BNCA) and IIT Bombay Powai, strengthening their collaborative efforts under “The Scheme for Promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration (SPARC), an initiative of the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India, and the UK-India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI).The agreement was signed in the presence of Dr. Upendra Bhandarkar, Associate Dean (R&D) at IIT Bombay, Dr. Bakul Rao, Principal investigator (India) of the project and Professor at the Centre for Technology Alternatives for Rural Areas (CTARA), IIT Bombay, and Dr. Vaishali Anagal, Co-Investigator (India) of the project and Dr. Amruta Garud, team member of the project from MKSSS’s BNCA.The agreement formalizes the launch of a two-year research program titled “Capacity Building in Built Environment Sustainability Research (CAPABLE),” funded under the UKIERI and SPARC initiatives. The program, spanning from April 2024 to March 2026, brings together academic partners IIT Bombay, Liverpool John Moores University (UK), and BNCA, with Pune Construction Engineering Research Foundation (PCERF) as the industry partner. A cohort of 20 undergraduate and postgraduate students specializing in sustainability will be selected for the program, with equal representation from India and the UK. The pre-screening workshop was held on August 9, 2024 at BNCA where students were oriented to probable research topics to be considered by Dr Anupa Manewa, Principal investigator (UK), and Dr. Mohan Siriwardena, Co-investigator (UK).

Dr.Bakul Rao elaborated on the role of a circular economy in a sustainable environment. Dr. Vaishali Anagal explained the course outline and conters focusing on the project milestones. Dr. Amruta Garud coordinated and anchored the program and discussed the application protocol. Selected students will engage in an 8-month joint training program, including up to 2 months of face-to-face, hands-on training at the partner institutes.The ‘Capable’ project website was launched at the hands of Dr. Anurag Kashyap, Principal, BNCA, and Dr. Sharvey Dhongde, Vice-Principal, BNCA.The project will conclude with a joint dissemination International conference at IIT Bombay in 2025, aimed at sharing the research outcomes and fostering further collaboration in sustainability in the built environment.

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