BRICS Network Universities conference inaugurated at IIT Bombay

A three-day virtual conference of BRICS Network Universities on the theme of electric mobility was inaugurated at IIT Bombay on Wednesday.

The conference is part of the engagements that India is hosting under the education stream as chair of the 13th BRICS Summit this year. Eighteen experts from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa will talk about various aspects of electric mobility like traffic management, hydrogen technology, hybrid vehicles, lithium-ion batteries and linkage between e-mobility and livelihoods over the next three days.

An official release said over 100 students, researchers and faculty from BRICS Network Universities of the five-member countries are expected to participate in the conference. Delivering the plenary address, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said the transport sector in India is transforming rapidly with the growing use of biofuels in all kinds of vehicles ranging from trucks to e-rickshaws, bicycles, e-carts and e-food stalls.

The country has also made a lot of progress with regard to low-cost battery technology, he said. "This transformation is not only good for the environment but is also opening up new livelihoods in the country," he said. Gadkari called upon IITs in the country to take on research in innovative technology that can further revolutionize e-mobility. The Minister also called for greater research cooperation among the BRICS countries in this sector. Amit Khare, Secretary, Higher Education, expressed hope that these interactions between the best minds from the BRICS countries will result in the creation of a useful body of knowledge that will benefit each member country in their shared quest for sustainability and inclusive growth.

BRICS Network University is a union of higher education institutions of the five BRICS member countries, formed with the objective of enhancing educational cooperation in general, and especially in the realm of research and innovation. IIT Bombay is the lead institution of India for the BRICS Network University.