Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IITG) and India Japan Lab (IJL) of Keio University, Japan has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on March 15, 2022 to collaborate on research projects, developing new certificate courses, joint student supervision, students and faculty exchange visits and joint publication of articles/educational books.
As a part of the MoU, the Centre for Disaster Management and Research (CDMR) of IIT Guwahati will act as the nodal Centre. CDMR was established at IIT Guwahati in November 2020 and the formal activities of this Centre started in January 2021.
The MoU was signed between professor T G Sitharam, director, IIT Guwahati, and professor Rajib Shaw, director, India Japan Lab, Keio University, in the presence of \Sudip Mitra, head, CDMR, IIT Guwahati.
CDMR of IIT Guwahati will be the partner for various IJL training programs/ workshops for the North East Region. This partnership would pave the path for a closer relationship with Japan, the country which is known for its expertise in managing disasters and developing technologies in reducing risks from various kinds of disasters.
As mentioned by Sitharam, the collaboration between Keio University and IIT Guwahati will not only be a technical one but a social one too. He suggested initiating the scope for a joint Master’s program by Keio University and IITG and also mentioned the potential role that CDMR and Keio University could play in generating awareness about disaster risk reduction among school children.
