14 June 2010

Dundee Universities forging new links with India

EVENT: 12noon, Monday June 14th
City Chambers, Dundee
Photo opportunity for signing ceremony with Principals from the two Universities and representatives of MIT Pune

Dundee has had a long association with India, primarily through the city’s history of jute trading. Now the city’s two universities are forging new links with the country through cutting-edge expertise in design, computer gaming and civil engineering.

Both the University of Dundee and the University of Abertay Dundee are signing a a range of agreements with the Maharashtra Academy of Engineering Education and Research (MIT Pune), one of India’s leading centres of education and research.

Fiona Hyslop MSP, Minister for Culture and External Affairs, said, 'Scotland and India's historical links represent great potential for collaboration and mutual benefit. So, I am delighted to see the city of Dundee's universities taking the lead in building links that I hope will open up long-lasting educational and research opportunities. Such joint working is exactly what we are seeking to encourage through the India Plan.'

The links between Dundee and MIT Pune were initiated by Scottish Development International. The agreements will see students from Pune coming to Dundee to study on some of the leading courses offered by Dundee and Abertay Dundee.

'This is an exciting new development for Dundee and we are delighted to be forming this partnership with MIT Pune' said Professor Pete Downes, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Dundee.

'This is a wide-ranging collaboration that reflects our international reputation in Civil Engineering and Dundee's position as a centre for training and research in creative industries. It will continue to develop over the next few years, broadening both the subject coverage and the depth of collaboration.'

Professor Bernard King CBE, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Abertay Dundee, said, 'We share with MIT Pune a tradition of providing advanced, career-relevant higher education, and this important agreement establishes a new partnership between our institutions that will benefit both nations.

'MIT Pune’s students will gain from our expertise as one of the world’s leading centres of excellence for computer games and computer arts degree courses, and our own students will benefit from an enriched educational experience through studying alongside bright and talented students from India.'

Dr Sunil Karad, Executive Director, MIT Group of Institutes, said, 'I look at this as starting a new era of bilateral relations between Dundee and Pune, India. There has been a good history between our two countries in textile-related tread. With knowledge economy becoming the key in today’s world, such tie-ups will help both the partners in a great way, so I hope Dundee and Pune will have a great future together.'

David Smith, interim chief executive of Scottish Development International, said, 'This is a fantastic example of the way SDI successfully uses it's industry expertise and extensive overseas networks to drive forward opportunities to boost the Scottish economy.

'India is one of the world's fastest expanding economies - it's the world's twelfth largest economy, fourth largest purchasing power after the US, China and Japan and is Scotland's second largest market for further and higher students. By engaging with such powerful economies, Scotland has the potential to experience huge economic benefits and to become even more globally competitive.'

The formal signing of the agreements will take place at the City Chambers in Dundee on Monday June 14th.

The University of Dundee will be signing agreements covering:

• Product Design
  MIT and University of Dundee have agreed to develop 1+1 Masters in Product Design, in which students will spend their first year in Pune and their second year in Dundee, graduating with a dual degree from MIT ID Pune and the University of Dundee.
• Design Ethnography
  UOD is working on creating a joint degree in Industrial Design With Ethnography. Students will spend first year in Pune, two semesters in Dundee on the Design Ethnography Masters course and then do a design project for the final semester of the two years. This will involve some teaching exchange and curriculum development.
• Civil Engineering
  MIT will sponsor staff PhDs at the University of Dundee - one person has already been selected. Dundee will host short visits by 2/3 MIT post-doctoral students for 2/3 months each year.

MIT and Dundee have also agreed to develop 1+1 Masters in Civil Engineering.

Discussions are also continuing to extend the collaboration into Education, Health, Architecture and Animation.

The University of Abertay Dundee will be signing two agreements for:

• MIT's undergraduate students studying their Graduate Diploma in Animation Design, to come to UAD to study year three and year four of the BA Computer Arts degree
• MIT's postgraduate students studying their Postgraduate Diploma in Animation Design, to come to UAD to study a one (calendar) year PGDip/MA in one of Abertay’s computer game art and animation masters degrees.

For media enquiries contact:
Roddy Isles
Head, Press Office
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384910
E-MAIL: r.isles@dundee.ac.uk
MOBILE: 07800 581902