Kolkata: The Indian Institute of Technology-Kharagpur (IIT-KGP) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Rhine-Main Universities (RMU), a strategic university alliance in Germany, to strengthen collaboration in research and education, officials said on Thursday.

The MoU was signed at TU Darmstadt, Germany, in the presence of IIT-KGP Director Suman Chakraborty, Ramanuj Banerjee, Counsellor (Science and Technology) at the Indian Embassy in Berlin, and other officials.

The partnership establishes a framework for joint research, faculty and student exchanges, academic networking, and collaborative educational and cultural initiatives across multiple disciplines.

It also marks IIT-Kharagpur's formal entry into RMU's international network, 'RM Universe', allowing participation in joint research projects, fellowships, lecture series, and student research stays in Germany.

Describing the collaboration as a “new chapter in the Indo-German scientific alliance,” IIT-KGP said it aims to nurture future-ready researchers and innovators. The initiative will facilitate joint project proposals, PhD programmes, workshops, and researcher mobility between the two regions.

The MoU will remain valid for five years.