The Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology (MNNIT) and the National Rail and Transportation Institute (NRTI)— a deemed-to-be university in Vadodara, Gujarat—could soon join hands for academic support and joint research works in the field of transportation, inform officials.
If all goes as per plan, the experts of the two institutions would collaborate on projects related to various modes of transportation including railway, road and air, they add. Railway Board Chairman VK Yadav, who is an MNNIT alumnus, has begun talks with MNNIT director Prof Rajeev Tripathi in this regard and is playing a key role in making this partnership a reality.
“I am hopeful of the signing of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the two institutions soon,” he said. Yadav was in Sangam city to attend the 16th convocation function of MNNIT on November 2 and initiated talks in this regard with MNNIT top brass.
“NRTI is India’s first railway university and aims to provide transport-related courses to prospective students. Established in 2018 and having started admissions from this year, the institution is offering two undergraduate courses, including BBA in transportation management and BSc in transportation technology,” said Yadav.
He said students of the second batch of these courses took admission in September. “The plan is to start now expand the courses and areas of education and research to railway engineering, transport engineering and management among others,” he said.
Yadav said the aim is to produce engineers who not only serve the Indian railways, which is a technological centric organisation needing a large number of specialist engineers, but also other sectors associated with the field of transport.
“We have already entered into MoUs with other reputed institutions and would like a similar partnership to exist between NRTI and MNNIT for mutual benefit,” he said. MNNIT director Prof Rajeev Tripathi said he too was hopeful of a partnership with the NRTI.
“We plan to formally hold talks to explore the potential areas of collaboration and after that plan to formally ink the agreement,” he added.
