MoU opens a new gateway for MSU students

According to faculty members of the two institutes,the MoU paves the way for a host of inter-disciplinary interactions.

Announcing the Professor S D Telang Memorial Visiting Faculty Programme,founder dean of MSU’s Department of Biochemistry,C V Ramakrishnan,on Sunday said students from the University would also be selected by visiting faculties from across the world to work in the laboratories of premier scientific institutions and projects.

“We have started Telang Memorial Foundation,which will organise fellowships for students participating in the short-term courses by visiting professors of NCBS as well as foreign universities. During the course under Professor S.D. Telang Memorial Visiting Faculty Programme,students would be assigned to prepare projects and accordingly,one guide from the university and one from the foreign university would help the student work in their laboratories. We are also planning to have this programme available to other universities of Gujarat,” added Ramakrishnan,who is also the father of 2009 Nobel Laureate Venkataraman Ramakrishnan.

NCBS director Dr K Vijayraghavan,who was in the city to speak on Prof C V Ramakrishnan Lecture Series starting from Sunday,said it is for the first time that such an MoU has been signed between NCBS and a government university.

“This is to allow the students to come up with better ideas in terms of research and foster inter-disciplinary interactions. We already have a good number of former students from MSU working with us. With the visiting faculty programme and other features of the MoU such as access to laboratory facilities,workshops by visiting faculties,the students while pursuing their doctoral research will also be able to interact with their fellows in NCBS,” added Vijayraghavan.

MSU vice-chancellor Dr Ramesh Goyal said when vice-chancellors of various universities met earlier this year in Vadodara,a concern raised about foreign universities coming into the country.

“The new MoU paves way for more interactions between premier institutions within the country in the wake of foreign universities coming into the country. This will foster inter-disciplinary understanding and exposure for our students,” added Goyal.

Professor B B Chattoo,while spelling out details of the MoU,said that visiting faculty from NCBS would be regarded as adjunct faculty member in M S University. “Visiting foreign professors to NCBS will also come to MSU. The teaching costs will be covered by NCBS itself,” added Chattoo.