Nauni/Solan: In an effort to broaden its international cooperation, the Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry (UHF), Nauni signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) with Western Sydney University (WSU), Australia for joint collaborative research, exchange programmes and the exchange of information in horticultural and forestry sciences.
The pact will enable the development of collaborative projects, organisation of joint academic and scientific activities, such as courses, conferences, seminars, symposia and lectures between the two universities. Further, both institutions will work towards the exchange of academic staff for teaching and research activities and exchange of PhD students to undertake study or participate in research programmes.
Prof Barney Glover, Vice-Chancellor and President, Western Sydney University and Dr Rajkumar Kumar Thakur, Joint Director, Communications, UHF Nauni signed the LoI at a function organized at New Delhi. Dr Rakesh Gupta, Dean College of Horticulture, UHF Nauni and officials from ICAR were also present on the occasion.
“The purpose of this Letter of Intent is to provide a framework by which the two universities may in future undertake joint activities together,” said Dr HC Sharma, Vice Chancellor, UHF Nauni.
He added that the collaboration is important for the university and the state as both universities want to undertake more work on honeybees and bumblebees as pollinators of fruit crops and the study of climate change on crop production and food security.
Dr Sharma was of the view that if we want to solve some of the difficult problems of food production and security, and conservation of environment then we must look towards more interdisciplinary education and research along with greater collaboration with global advanced research institutions and the CGIAR.
