IIT EU Alumni Association Workshop Series onTechnical Education in India at the 2006 Hannover Trade Fair in Germany
IIT alumni initiated their first European public meeting on Technical Education in India in Hannover (Germany) as part of the India Forum at the Hannover Trade Fair on April 28, 2006.
A series of workshops in cooperation with the EEPC were held on such major topics as
- Infrastructure and Environment (Workshop 1),
- Process and Manufacturing (Workshop 2)
- Technical Exchange Programmes (Workshop 3).
Welcome speeches were given by Mr. V. Kaushik (IMEC, Belgium, Convenor), Mr. S. Tripathi (FLUIDYN, France, President of IIT EU Alumni Association), and Ms. A. Swarup (Ministry of Commerce , India).
The three groups of international panelists were moderated by Mr. M. Chandramouli (SURYA International, Belgium), Mr. S. Pai (Schlumberger, France), and Mr. Tripathi, respectively.
Invited panellists for each of the workshops included the following distinguished speakers.
The following workshops were held
WORKSHOP 1 (Infrastructure & Environment)
Prof. P. Bisch (ENPC, France), Prof. J. Gueldenpfennig (RWTH Aachen, Germany), Prof. G. Carnat (INT-Evry, France), and Prof. B. Mueller (FH Aachen, Germany)
WORKSHOP 2 (Process & Manufacturing)
Dr. T. Jordan (IKET-FZK, Germany), Prof. P. Becker and Dr. S. Ducruix
( ECP, France), Prof. S. Dhande (IIT Kanpur), and Dr. O. Winkler
(RWTH Aachen, Germany) .
WORKSHOP 3 (Technical Exchange Programmes)
Prof.
D. Grimm (ECP, France), Dr. H. Nastansky (DAAD, Germany), Mr. H.
Chatterjee (RWTH Aachen, Germany), Mr. S. Desai (DAMSK, UK),
Prof. H. Biausser (ECP, France), and Mr. A. Desai (MASTEK,
India) .
Some of the proceedings at the workshops are given below
Prof. Carnat highlighted the French advanced educational system for engineers preparing for a career as decision-makers in complex state and commercial organisations, the importance of adequate preparation and careful selection of candidates, and the need for producing highly adaptable “change makers” in a rapidly changing world.
Dr. Jordan gave an overview of hydrogen safety management research and the EU consortium ‘HySafe’ open to INCO countries such as India. Dr. Ducruix summarised cooperation programmes of the ECP International Network and an upcoming EU-India project on combustion engineering research under the EU FP7. The simulation of complex flows in gas turbines will help developing stable processes with low emissions.
Prof. Dhande spoke on behalf of all IITs to present a detailed view of current strategic perspectives for Indo-European cooperation. Under the “Joint Academic Programme”, such actions as team formation, investing in infrastructure of mutual interest, and cooperation with European industry in India are being planned. Under the “Frontiers of Engineering” programme, the need was expressed for focusing on government programmes, distance education at high-end of research, and bilateral Germany-India brainstorming. Under the concept of “Joint Technical Development”, a programme leading to “prototypes” should be strived for, exploiting synergies between Europe and India. A call for EU faculty to consider working in India was issued, mentioning various contractual alternatives that are possible and such practical considerations as living quarters that are available. A call for a “new order”, based on deepening mutual cultural knowledge, concluded the talk.
Prof. Grimm presented a statistical review of bilateral projects between France and India. The T.I.M.E. (Top Industrial Managers for Europe) Network was also mentioned.
Dr. Nastansky gave a similar review of DAAD Germany-India projects for engineering students distributed evenly over the various engineering academic departments.
Mr. Chatterjee summarised experience gained with China.
Mr. S. Desai reported on IIT UK activities of the last two years.
Mr. A. Desai described the goals of the upcoming Global IIT Alumni Conference in Mumbai. The contribution of IITians to “nation building” is reflected in the motto proposed for it: IIT = Inspire Involve Transform.
Numerous IITians and other interested participants of the event joined in short public discussions with the panellists following each Workshop .
This was followed by selective networking after the formal reception that concluded the event in the afternoon and during the informal get-together of all IITians and guests in the evening.
The event has been mentioned in publications of the Hannover Trade Fair, of the EEPC, and in the local and international press.
The genuine interest shown by all the participants, the pleasant atmosphere, and the remarkable organisation of this first IIT EU AA event based largely on voluntary teamwork across national boundaries make everyone look forward eagerly to the second meeting of the Association now planned for Paris in May 2007.
