Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology to sign MoU with 11 central institutions for coordinated research

BHUBANESWAR: Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) Bhubaneswar is taking a big step by signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with 11 institutions of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) at a time for collaborative research and sharing laboratory and other facilities among them.
Seven out of the 11 ICAR institutions are situated in Bhubaneswar. These are Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture (CIFA), Indian Institute of Water Management (IIWM), Central Institute for Women in Agriculture (CIWA), regional center of the Central Tuber Crops Research Institute, regional station of the Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, National Institute on Foot and Mouth Disease, Regional Station-Directorate of Poultry Research.
The others are National Rice Research Institute (NRRI), Cuttack, regional station of Indian Institute of Pulse Research at Khurda, regional centre of Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation at Sunabeda in Koraput district and Sisal Research Station at Bamra in Sambalpur district under Central Research Institute for Jute and Allied Fibres.
All these 12 institutions will promote student supervision, collaborative teaching and allied academic activities, outreach research and human resource development activities.
After signing of the MoU, Pravat Kumar Roul, vice-chancellor of OUAT, said they can hold student and faculty exchange programmes, outreaching and upscaling of technologies from lab to land, joint publication, patenting and other intellectual property rights (IPRs).
He said they can share laboratory and other infrastructural facilities according to the norms of respective institutes/universities. “After the MoU is signed, we can submit jointly agreed upon collaborative research proposals for research and development projects. The institutions can hold scientific and UG/PG academic activities on mutual understanding. We can also jointly organize conferences, workshops and seminars,” he added.
The university will sign this MoU at the two-day Farmers' Fair starting from Monday in OUAT main campus here. In this event, scientists will interact with around 1000 farmers coming from all 30 districts and inspire them to use best practices in agriculture. An exhibition with 45 stalls will be inaugurated by agriculture minister Ranendra Pratap Swain. There will be deliberations on the state seed system and farm mechanisation and entrepreneurship in livestock and fisheries. Around 20 successful farmers will be felicitated at the Fair.
Apart from farmers, agri-entrepreneurs and agri-promoters, self-help groups and farmer producer organisations (FPOs), agriculture and allied departments, national institutions like ICAR, agencies and students will take part in the Fair.