The IIT-EU Alumni Association was established in 2005 in Paris. Following successful conferences on Technology-Business collaboration in Hanover (2006) and Paris (2007), we held a series of regional mini-workshops in India in 2008 to explore how best to enhance research opportunities for IIT students. The workshops highlighted the need for increasing the quality and numbers of R&D engineers for industry in India and also develop PhDs to work as professors in growing number of Indian engineering institutions. In 2009, we repeated these workshops during March 19 - 29, 2009 to further advance this concept. A group of European industry and university representatives travelled to four IITs to participate in these workshops. Indian industry representatives in each region were invited to participate. The underlying theme of the workshops was to foster collaborative endeavours between Indian and European Academia and Industry in the general areas of Energy and Transportation (E&T)
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European university representation was from Ecole Centrale Paris and Grenoble Université. Other interested universities include Ecole Polytechnic Paris, Sup’aero, CEA, Ecole Centrale d’Electronique, ESIGELEC, ISEP, HEI, and Ecole Centrale Nantes. European industry representation was from Veolia, Fluidyn, ADRDE and ARKEMA.  Other industry interest includes EADS, AREVA and Safran Aerospace. Indian industry representatives were from DAE, NPCIL, BARC, IGCAR.

Each workshop was moderated by an industry representative who had knowledge of the IIT system and was an ex-IITan.

Discussion Subject

The main discussion centred on the concept of developing a student research program, sponsored by industry, with active participation from IIT and European faculty. It became apparent from previous meetings, that any change in the existing B.Tech. Program cannot be implemented easily and PhD programs lack enough students.  Thus the discussion focussed around the concept of organizing a Masters level program to include industrial training and a semester in Europe for Indian students and vice versa for European students.

Prior to the workshop, potential industry projects had been solicited and a list of proposed topics was available on the IIT-EU website, www.iit-eu.org.

Based on previous meetings with industry, faculty from India and Europe, the following constraints were assumed:

• To avoid any depletion of students from IIT, for every IIT student coming to Europe, there should be at least one European student going to IIT,
• Industrial training will be only on an R&D subject of sufficient value to the industry so the student has a fair chance of continuing on the subject either as an engineer with the firm or as research scholar for PhD.
• Industry will finance only if its investment in research is kept safe as its intellectual property. Professors, as co-supervisors of the project will ensure that this is the case.
• Program should be such that both professors, European and Indian, are able to follow the student all through the program. We should avoid a situation where a student does one year in one country and then another in other country. As an example, an Indian student should spend the beginning and final period of his program with an IIT professor. 

Organization of the Workshop

The workshops were mostly one-day sessions, with a second day available for networking between students, faculty and industry. The program consisted of:

• A morning session with the professors or heads of departments in the presence of the director of the IIT or his assistant and Deans,
• An afternoon session with students
• A one-to-one session with students in the evening or next day
• A dinner with faculty

Each day was followed by a debriefing to discuss the approach and our presentations if necessary. The proposed collaboration platform was refined and adapted from one workshop to another.

Delegation

Kick off  & Conclusion meetings:

Conclusion:

1. A Masters level program can be formulated to include industry sponsorship, combined with faculty from an IIT and a European University. Under this program, an Indian student will begin coursework at IIT, start the research project, continue the project with tenure at a European University, and an internship at the sponsoring industry, and finish up the Masters program at IIT. A similar arrangement can be possible for a European student.
2. The current M.Tech program at IIT offers some of the needed components, but not all. To establish such a program, it would have to be approved first by the IIT senate. Each IIT will probably have some slight variation specific to their needs. Towards this end, IITEUAA will send a draft proposal to the IITs for followup.
3. Specific research projects need to be defined and professors and students need to be defined to undertake the research. This will be initiated by IITEUAA, with subsequent takeover by the interested parties.
4. IITEUAA will build up its website www.iit-eu.org to better facilitate interactions between faculty, students and industry representatives. Website will include information on scholarships and other potential financial support for the Master’s program.