Centurion University, Odisha, has signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Survey of India (SoI) to strengthen academic, research and professional collaboration in Geomatics and Geospatial Technology.

The agreement was signed at the university's Jatni campus on October 7 by Bharat Kumbhar, Director, Survey of India, and Prof. (Dr) Supriya Pattanayak, Vice Chancellor, Centurion University, Odisha.

The partnership will focus on joint research and development, capacity building, knowledge exchange and technical training in the geospatial sector.

Under the agreement, students of Centurion University will receive practical exposure through internship programmes at Survey of India offices. SoI officers will also have the opportunity to enrol in short-term specialised training programmes, as well as M.Tech and Ph.D. programmes at Centurion University, subject to institutional norms.

"This partnership aligns with our core vision of skill-integrated higher education. Giving our students direct exposure to Survey of India's national mapping projects while hosting SoI professionals for advanced research will bridge the academia-industry gap and drive meaningful innovation in spatial science," said Prof. (Dr) Supriya Pattanayak.

The collaboration will also cover joint R&D projects, national and international conferences, workshops and technical exchanges. The two institutions will explore opportunities to co-author scientific publications, secure patents and pursue technology transfers.

A Joint Steering Committee will oversee, coordinate and periodically review the initiatives undertaken under the partnership.

"Geospatial data is the backbone of modern infrastructure, governance, and sustainable planning. Collaborating with Centurion University allows us to upskill our workforce through higher academic research while nurturing the next generation of geospatial experts equipped to tackle real-world development challenges," said Bharat Kumbhar.

The partnership is expected to support research, skill development and geospatial education in Odisha and beyond.

Jagannath Padhi, Campus Director; Dr Biswajit Mishra, Pro Vice Chancellor; Dr Sujata Chakravarty, IIC Director; Kumar Chandra Sethi and Dr Kamal Kumar Barik from the Department of Civil Engineering, Centurion University; and Jayanta Ku Pradhan, Technical Officer; Debasish Das, Officer Surveyor; Sankar Prasad, Officer Surveyor; and Manoj Kumar Nayak, Officer Surveyor, Survey of India, were present at the signing ceremony.