The IITB-Monash Research Academy is a graduate research school located in Mumbai, India. It opened in 2008 as a joint venture between the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay and

Monash University Monash University () is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Named for prominent World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. The university has a ...

. Students of the Academy study for a dual PhD from both institutions, spending time in both Australia and India, with supervisors from both IITB and Monash. The establishment of the Academy marks the first time that an Australian university has set up an extensive physical presence in India.

History

In 2006, then Vice-Chancellor of Monash

Richard Larkins Richard Graeme Larkins (born 17 May 1943) is the former Chancellor of La Trobe University. He was the Vice-Chancellor and President of Monash University from 2003 to June 2009. Prior to this, he had a distinguished career in medicine, scientifi ...

went on a tour of India with senior Monash staff and an executive from

BHP Billiton BHP Group Limited (formerly known as BHP Billiton) is an Australian multinational mining, metals, natural gas petroleum public company that is headquartered in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The Broken Hill Proprietary Company was founded ...

. The tour was led by Monash Dean of Engineering Tam Sridhar, an Indian-Australian professor. The team met with research institutions, public officials and industry research bodies around the country. After extensive negotiations, Monash University and IITB signed an agreement to undertake joint research and establish a graduate research school together. The agreement was signed on 7 March 2006 in the presence of then Australian Prime Minister John Howard. The Academy attracted early industry support, with a commitment from

and Infosys to joint research and commercialisation. The Academy was officially opened on 26 November 2008. 36 research projects began immediately, with several hundred further projects in the planning phase. By June 2009, 41 PhD students were enrolled at the Academy. By 2012, that number had risen to 80. It is expected that the Academy will eventually house around 250-300 PhD students at any one time.

Research

The Academy's research encompasses a range of issues of concern to industry and government in Australia and India. This includes

clean energy Clean may refer to: * Cleaning, the process of removing unwanted substances, such as dirt, infectious agents, and other impurities, from an object or environment * Cleanliness, the state of being clean and free from dirt Arts and media Music Al ...

, water,

biotechnology Biotechnology is the integration of natural sciences and engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms, cells, parts thereof and molecular analogues for products and services. The term ''biotechnology'' was first used by ...

, infrastructure engineering, stem cells, advanced computational engineering and nanotechnology. The Academy has five Foundation Partners, each of whom will contribute around $1–2 million in research sponsorship in the early years of the Academy. The Foundation Partners are Infosys,

Shell Shell may refer to: Architecture and design * Shell (structure), a thin structure ** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses ** Thin-shell structure Science Biology * Seashell, a hard o ...

, the CSIRO and the

Australian Stem Cell Centre The Australian Stem Cell Centre is an Australian medical research and development centre which focuses on regenerative medicine through the use of stem cells. Founded in 2003, the Centre is the National Biotechnology Centre of Excellence and ...

Location

The Academy is located at IITB's Campus in Powai, Mumbai.

Governance

The IITB-Monash Research Academy is governed by a Board of Directors, Advisory Council (a consultative body) and Chief Executive Officer. The Board consists primarily of senior management figures from Monash and IITB. The Advisory Council is made up of leaders from scientific research and industry, including Narayana Murthy (founder of Indian software Company Infosys) and prominent Australian biologist Professor

Gustav Nossal Sir Gustav Victor Joseph Nossal (born 4 June 1931) is an Austrian-born Australian research biologist. He is famous for his contributions to the fields of antibody formation and immunological tolerance. Early life and education Nossal's family ...

. Mohan Krishnamoorthy was the CEO of the Academy from 2008-2015. Professor

Murali Sastry Murali Sastry (born 1959) is an Indian material chemist, nanomaterial scientist and the chief executive officer of IITB-Monash Research Academy. He is a former chief scientist and Tata Chemicals and a former senior scientist at National Chemical ...

was the CEO from 2015-2020. The current CEO is M. S. Unnikrishnan.

References

External links

Official IITB-Monash Research Academy Website

Official Monash University Website

Official IITB Website

{{Monash University

Monash University IIT Bombay Education in Mumbai