Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham has announced entering into a “Letter of Intent (LoI)” with the University of Twente (Universiteit Twente (UT), Netherlands, to combine strengths and enhance Engineering education and research with the right blend of scientific excellence and societal benefit.
The LoI was signed by the Chancellor of Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi (Amma) and Prof. Joost Kok, Dean, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science (EEMCS), on behalf of UT on October 16, 2019, in Houten, Netherlands.
The LoI proposes to offer ‘Amrita-UT 3+2 Master I-Tech’ Integrated Program (3+2 I-Tech program) to Amrita and UT students, starting next academic year. Along with the agreement for student exchange, viz. Amrita’s Live-in-Labs® and UT’s CuriousU Summer School program, Amrita is further expanding collaborative research work with UT in the areas of Risk Management, Pervasive Systems and now in Interaction Technology.
The 3+2 I-Tech program will involve the Bachelor of Technology (B. Tech.) program at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham to be integrated with the Masters program ‘Masters in Interaction Technology’ at the University of Twente. This integrated program will offer students from both universities a unique platform to blend experiential learning through Amrita’s flagship academic program, the Live-in-Labs® and top-notch academic learning through UT’s I-Tech program. The program will guide them to understand the concept of sustainable development while trying to apply science and technology in the real world. Students from UT and Amrita who wish to pursue their research in sustainable development will be offered to join a fully-funded Ph. D. program at Amrita.
Further, the program will be set to cover a wide range of application domains in Interactive Technology such as: communication technology for global activities, social robots, Ubiquitous Computing, Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) applications, Artificial Intelligence Internet of Things (IoT) and Industrial, Internet of Things (IIoT) solutions, healthcare solutions, telemedicine and e-mental health solutions, design of persuasive health technology systems, mobility and autonomous systems (for example, self-driving cars), interactive learning environments, cybercrime science, fashion (wearable tech) and energy, sustainability.
Through this integrated wholesome learning, the students will develop broader knowledge and skills, preparing them for the role of either a researcher, a designer or an entrepreneur. Whichever the students may choose, they will be equipped to create exciting, meaningful interactive technology solutions that answer to the needs and wants of the target users.
Representing the University of Twente, Stephanus Johannes Maathuis, (Managing Director Faculty EEMCS), and Dr. Alma M. Schaafstal, (Programme Director, Creative Technology / Interaction Technology from UT), were present. Representing Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Swami Amritaswarupananda Puri (President, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham), Dr. Bipin Nair (Dean, School of Biotechnology), Dr. Maneesha V. Ramesh (Dean, International Programs), Dr. Krishnashree Achuthan (Dean, Postgraduate Programs), and Dr. Shyam Diwakar (Associate Professor and Lab Director- Computational Neuroscience Lab, School of Biotechnology), were also present on the occasion.
Amrita is currently ranked 8th (in Top 10 Universities for 3 consecutive years) in India and recognized as No. 1 Private University in India by multiple world university ranking agencies, including THE and QS. With 22,000 students and 1600 faculty, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham under Amma’s guidance as the Chancellor, is the youngest university to have achieved this distinction in the country.
Universiteit Twente – University of Twente is a leading international research university in the Netherlands and is ranked among the top 200 universities in the world. At Twente, excellence in science is combined with an international orientation and commitment to unite social sciences with engineering education and research, whilst keeping a high bar on quality.
