Institutions like IIT-Madras have the expertise to come up with solutions to address global problems like environmental degradation, global warming, overpopulation and lack of resources, Walter J. Lindner, German Ambassador to India, said here on Tuesday.
Addressing an event held to celebrate the decades-long partnership between IIT-Madras and RWTH Aachen University in Germany, he said cross-border collaborations, such as the one between these two institutions, were the need of the hour.
Bhaskar Ramamurthi, Director, IIT-Madras, said many important projects related to sustainability, land use, and waste management were being done at the Indo-German Centre for Sustainability, an important centre of collaboration between IIT-Madras and RWTH Aachen University. “The new focus on coastal management now is due to climate change,” he added.
He was conferred with the RWTH Honorary Fellow Award by Ulrich Rüdiger, Rector, RWTH Aachen University, at the event.
Mr. Rüdiger said his university was also working with industry on a model similar to that of IIT-Madras Research Park.
“Our joint history dates back to 1959 when RWTH Aachen University supported the foundation of IIT-Madras. In 1966, the two institutions formed the first German-Indian University partnership. In 2016, the strategic partnership of ‘Sister Universities’ was initiated between the two universities,” he said.
IIT-M entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with Robert Bosch Engineering and Business Solutions Private Limited.