The memorandum of understanding enables partnership on key challenges such as water security, impacts of air pollution, soil health and sustainability. The MoU was signed by IISc Registrar Dr Mohan Das and CEH Director Prof Mark Bailey at IISc on Wednesday.
The two organisations will identify opportunities for development of collaborative research, exchange of research scientists, and joint staff and studentships. An initial project is for CEH scientists to work with an IISc team to monitor soil moisture at the IISc catchment near Mysore. CEH will supply a state of the art Cosmic Ray Soil Moisture Measuring Device, COSMOS and train IISc, staff and students on its use.
Professor Alan Jenkins, Deputy Director, CEH, said:
This type of partnership is crucial in carrying out research on the environment’s grand challenges such as water security and soil sustainability issues. We will be working with IISc on a number of projects in the immediate future..
Professor Pradeep Mujumdar, Department of Civil Engineering, IISc, said:
This link with the leading environmental science institute in the UK offers huge opportunities for making significant advances in understanding our soil and water systems and how they can be best managed to provide essential ecosystem services.
The event was attended by
Professor Anurag Kumar, Director Indian Institute of Science (IISc)
Professor Mark Bailey, Director Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH)
Professor Kamanio Chattopadhyay, Chairman Division of Mechanical Sciences, Indian Institute of Science (IISc)
Professor Alan Jenkins, Deputy Director CEH and Director of Water and Pollution Science
Ian Felton, British Deputy High Commissioner, Bangalore
Dr Nafees Meah, Director Research Councils UK (RCUK) India
Dr N Mohan Das, Registrar, Indian Institute of Science (IISc)
Professor Usha Vijayraghavan, Chairperson International Relations Cell, Indian Institute of Science (IISc)
Professor Pradeep Mujumdar, Indian Institute of Science (IISc)
Notes for Editors
The Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH): is the UK’s Centre of Excellence for integrated research in the land and freshwater ecosystems and their interaction with the atmosphere. CEH is part of the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), employs more than 450 people at four major sites in England, Scotland and Wales, hosts over 150 PhD students, and has an overall budget of about £35m. CEH tackles complex environmental challenges to deliver practicable solutions so that future generations can benefit from a rich and healthy environment.
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Natural Environment Research Council (NERC): is the UK’s main agency for funding and managing world-class research, training and knowledge exchange in the environmental sciences. It coordinates some of the world’s most exciting research projects, tackling major issues such as climate change, food security, environmental influences on human health, the genetic make-up of life on earth, and much more. NERC receives around £300m a year from the government’s science budget, which it uses to fund research and training in universities and its own research centres.
The Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore: came into existence in 1909. The Institute is engaged in higher learning and advanced research in the fields of Science and Engineering. Over the last century, the Institute has grown steadily to occupy its present leading position among the institutions of higher learning in the country. The Institute provides quality education and excels in research and development in a large number of disciplines in Science, Engineering and Technology. There are now over 40 Departments and Centers in the Institute.
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