Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University-Kakinada (JNTU-K) and the University of Missouri, a public research university in Columbia, will collaborate to undertake advanced studies in blockchain technology and Artificial Intelligence.
The project is being funded by the United States Mission to India through its programme called ‘2020 US-India Higher Education Research Collaboration Initiative.’
Started last year (2019), this initiative, implemented through the University of Nebraska, Omaha, aims at promoting collaborative research between the universities in the United States and India.
JNTU-K and the University of Missouri will receive a grant of $44,000 to pursue this joint research. “The process is very competitive and JNTU-K is the only university in the States of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Odisha to receive this grant,” said Annavarapu Kumar, Overseas Education Coordinator of the State government, based out of Atlanta.
Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Kumar said many universities were interested in collaborating with Andhra Pradesh in the higher education sector. He said the joint venture was a step towards realising Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s dream to raise the educational standards to international level.
He said this particular project was a year-long collaboration but research works would continue for almost next five years.
Mr. Kumar’s role entails facilitating tie-ups between the universities in the State and 100 top institutions in the U.S. besides guiding students on educational and employment opportunities in the institutions and industries in the U.S. He is also mandated to guide the departments concerned on sanctioning scholarship to the students pursuing higher studies in the U.S.
Wider choice
“There are many misconceptions in the minds of people with regard to pursuing higher education in the U.S. There is a dire need to educate the young aspirants and help them chase their dreams,” says Mr. Kumar, pointing to the fact that a large number of students go to the U.S. to pursue their higher studies but a majority of them join only the ‘bracketed’ 12 universities. “The choice is much wider. There are some 2,700 universities with most of them offering financial aid and fellowships,” he said.
