NMIMS and Virginia Tech join hands to set up Institute for Global Education (IGE) and Curriculum Innovation by signing the agreement virtually

The collaboration will establish NMIMS as a top-tier research institution in the emerging areas of trans-disciplinary engineering and technology management

Mumbai, 6^th July 2021: SVKM’s NMIMS Deemed-to-be University, one of India’s leading higher education institutions, with a 40-year legacy of academic excellence, has partnered with Virginia Tech, a leading educational institution in the USA, to establish the Institute for Global Education and Curriculum Innovation (IGE). IGE emphasizes the promotion of curriculum innovation through the development of NMIMS faculty, to prepare them for teaching trans-disciplinary engineering programs. This initiative is the latest of several successful and long-standing academic collaborations between NMIMS and Virginia Tech. IGE was launched on July 1^st, 2021.

IGE is the latest partnership between Virginia Tech and NMIMS and further strengthens an already-established alliance between the two, which includes academic collaborations involving some of NMIMS’ cutting-edge engineering programs, and the innovative 3-1-1 coordinated program that offers students the possibility of earning three degrees in five years from NMIMS as well as Virginia Tech.

Built on the strengths of Virginia Tech’s faculty model and industry-leading research, IGE will strengthen NMIMS’ faculty pool through international recruitments, and elevate its stature further as a global center of excellence in research. The institute will be established at the NMIMS campus in Mumbai, and the faculty will consist of accomplished faculty who possess global research credentials in the cutting-edge and rapidly-developing fields of Artificial Intelligence, Data Science and Cybersecurity. Furthermore, IGE faculty will be jointly governed by Virginia Tech and NMIMS.

Discussing the collaboration, Dr. Sharad Mhaiskar, Pro Vice Chancellor, NMIMS Deemed-to-be University, said, “At NMIMS, we always strive to ensure that our engineering and technology management programs are at the forefront of education and research in new-age fields like Artificial Intelligence, Data Science and Cybersecurity, and the Institute for Global Education is another step in that direction. We are thrilled to partner with Virginia Tech for yet another promising collaboration. Virginia Tech is a top-ranking university, with established credentials in research, and their support will enable us to build a vibrant community of highly-qualified academicians.”

Dr. Ramesh Bhat, Vice Chancellor, NMIMS Deemed-to-be University added that the collaboration would cement NMIMS’ vision of fostering cutting-edge innovation and advanced scientific pursuits.

Dr.Guru Ghosh, Vice President Outreach and International Affairs, Virginia Tech University, added, “India is an exciting and emerging hub in the modern world of automation and Artificial Intelligence. Establishing the Institute for Global Education in partnership with NMIMS, which is known for its high-quality education, allows for highly accomplished experts to both shape and tap into the fast-paced environment of futuristic engineering fields in the country, and modernize our agricultural curricula and fieldwork with the advancements in farm mechanization. As a center of academic excellence, IGE will help both institutions in nurturing generations of innovative researchers who will provide advanced, contemporary, and industry-relevant guidance to the young and inspired students joining NMIMS’ new-age engineering programs. We also look forward to engaging with the Shirpur campus.”

Dr. Tarun Sen, Professor Emeritus and Managing Director, Strategic Educational Initiatives, Virginia Tech University, noted that the success of IGE would depend upon the quality of faculty and doctoral students that can be attracted to the institute. He further stated that research productivity at IGE would be measured by the quality and not the quantity of the research output and the significance of the impact that the applied research has on industry.

IGE’s faculty members will be required to publish research in the reputed journals of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), and Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences(INFORMS). In addition, they will also be expected to publish in highly regarded peer-reviewed conference publications.

In keeping with the goal of developing a robust research community at NMIMS, IGE will also recruit Ph.D. students, to be supervised and mentored by Virginia Tech’s and NMIMS’s eminent senior faculty. IGE faculty and Ph.D. candidates will be supported by experienced research faculty at Virginia Tech and NMIMS in leading-edge fields offered by various departments at both institutes.

About SVKM's NMIMS Deemed-to-be University:

Established in 1981, NMIMS is today recognized as a globally reputed university with strong industry linkages. It offers multiple disciplines across 8 campuses that consist of 17 specialized schools, more than 17000 students, about 750 full-time faculty members, 10 faculty members with Fulbright Scholarships, and Humboldt International Scholarships for post-doctoral researchers. It is known for its consistent academic quality and research-focused approach towards holistic education. SVKM's NMIMS has been granted Category-I Deemed University status by Graded Autonomy Regulation 2018 by MHRD/UGC and NMIMS Mumbai Campus is NAAC accredited with a CGPA of 3.59.

Website: www.nmims.edu

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About Virginia Tech, USA

Dedicated to its motto, UtProsim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech pushes the boundaries of knowledge by taking a hands-on, transdisciplinary approach to preparing scholars to be leaders and problem-solvers. A comprehensive land-grant institution that enhances the quality of life in Virginia and throughout the world, Virginia Tech is an inclusive community dedicated to knowledge, discovery, and creativity. The university offers more than 280 majors to a diverse enrollment of more than 36,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students in eight undergraduate colleges, a school of medicine, a veterinary medicine college, Graduate School, and Honors College. The university has a significant presence across Virginia, including the Innovation Campus in Northern Virginia; the Health Sciences and Technology Campus in Roanoke; sites in Newport News and Richmond; and numerous Extension offices and research centers. A leading global research institution, Virginia Tech conducts more than $530 million in research annually.