IIT, Rourkee and AIIMS, Rishikesh have gotten into an agreement for collaboration in the fields of health education and research for innovations in diagnostics and treatment interventions.

Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee will collaborate with All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Rishikesh, on health education, research and service fields. The two institutions entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to support their respective educational programs in the field of the Professional Competencies, particularly in the areas of Communication Skills, Ethics, Professionalism, Self-Care and Self-Awareness.

The MoU would serve to stimulate contacts between investigators in health science from the two institutions and provide a benchmark for research that would lead to innovations and changes in diagnostics, treatment interventions and effectiveness of treatment and procedures. Prof. Ajit K. Chaturvedi, Director, IIT Roorkee, signed the MoU with Prof Ravi Kant, Director, AIIMS Rishikesh, on March 23, 2018.

Speaking about the MoU, Prof. Ajit K. Chaturvedi, Director, IIT Roorkee, said, "With the emergence of several collaborative partnerships between engineering and medicine, across the globe, it was natural for IIT Roorkee and AIIMS Rishikesh to come together and play complementary roles in the interest of society. I am sure both the institutions will leverage this partnership so that they can do things and achieve goals which they possibly couldn't have done alone."

Prof Ravi Kant, Director, AIIMS Rishikesh, said, “Nanotechnology, Biotechnology, and Electrical Sciences of IIT Roorkee have a lot of scope for research in AIIMS Rishikesh as a field laboratory to confirm the theories and laboratory conclusions. The common goal of both institutions is minimizing the cost of healthcare.”

The General Objective of this MoU is to develop academic projects such as collaborative research, teaching, technical cooperative, evaluation and publication. It will also work to promote bilateral co-operation in scientific research and education in different faculties involving teaching and exchange of scientific researchers, organising lecture, seminars and scientific meetings, scholar exchange and Education Collaboration.

Further, both institutions will work to develop learning opportunities through courses, seminars workshops, and other means from both institutions to pursue activities related to scholars’ academic program, particularly with respect to the development of a Professional Competencies curriculum adapted for use at respective institution.

The institutions would also facilitate visits by medical students between institutions who will assist with the roll-out of the Professional Competencies curriculum, as well as participating in clinical electives. In addition, to facilitate visits by students from other related disciplines (such as Global Health or Nursing), as required for the implementation and evaluation of the Professional Competencies program.

The exchange of health science faculty members and visiting scholars dedicated to participating in teaching and research will also be carried out. AIIMS Rishikesh would give preference to IIT Roorkee faculty, students and staff for providing medical facilities for patients care.