MOU WITH FRAUNHOFER GESELLSCHAFT (Europe’s Largest Applied Research Organisation)

Mr. Frank Treppe, Director, Corporate Strategy and International Affairs,
Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft[/caption]Higher education today needs to re-examine the fact that most Indian universities fail to produce good quality applied research required to solve real life problems.

In an attempt to bridge this gap, BML Munjal University and Fraunhofer Gesellschaft recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding. Through this partnership, BMU and Fraunhofer will focus on conducting joint research in a number of areas such as Light-weight Technologies, Additive Manufacturing and Medical Technology.

About Fraunhofer Gesellschaft

With 67 institutes spread across the globe, Fraunhofer implements almost 9000 projects a year and accounts for 2 patents every working day. Fraunhofer’s notable patents include the MP3 coding format that digitized the entire music industry, the MPEG-4 AVC video coding format used to encode Blu-Ray Discs and often used to stream videos on the internet, the metamorphic triple junction solar cell currently being used in Mars Rover Missions, and ground breaking research in the area of Fiber Optics - in 2008 they broke the world record by transmitting data at a speed of 2.56 terabytes per second.

This collaboration also highlights BMU’s active involvement in the ‘Make in India’ initiative introduced by the Government of India. The partnership will not only push BMU in the fields of academics, applied research and innovation, it will simultaneously provide both organisations an opportunity to address the demands of rapid economic and social growth in India through a Centre of Excellence at BMU.

Promoting Industry-Oriented Applied Research

BMU’s objective is to transform higher education in India by creating a world-class teaching and learning environment. The partnership with Fraunhofer will further the University’s objective by jointly concentrating on industry-oriented applied research, development of educational content with an emphasis on practical rather than theoretical knowledge, and jointly developing a programme on Inclusive Innovation.

Under the agreement, BMU students will also have the opportunity to take up courses and internships at various Fraunhofer Institutes worldwide. Experts from Fraunhofer institutes will conduct classes at BMU on courses such as ‘Joy of Engineering’ and ‘Light-weighting’.

In order to create a focus on applied research in Indian higher education, such collaborations can provide a much needed impetus to bridge the chasm between the two sectors.

Fraunhofer and BMU will jointly conduct applied research, develop educational content, and offer a programme on Inclusive Innovation. BMU students will have the opportunity to take up courses and internships at various Fraunhofer Institutes across the world.