Soon, Air Force officers will be able to pursue direct PhD, MTech programmes in IIT Kanpur. Here's how

The Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur and the Indian Air Force signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish an Air Vice Marshal Harjinder Singh Chair of Excellence Research Scholar Program (RSP) wherein qualifying serving officers from the force can avail direct admission to PhD, MTech and eMasters programmes at the institute. The officers will get an opportunity to undertake time-bound research in the various departments of IIT Kanpur. 

The partnership will create a pool of think tanks with strategic knowledge amongst IAF officers. It will help to demonstrate new technology intervention and create awareness among the air force officers to address their problems through interaction with IIT-K faculty members, the institute said. It will also facilitate access to knowledge of force officers amongst faculty, researchers, and students of IIT-K. It further aims to provide research grants to PhD scholars of Aerospace Engineering of IIT-K. Abhay Karandikar, Director IIT-K, said, “We are proud to be associated with the Indian Air Force for collaboration in research and training. We are hopeful that the Chair of Excellence will set new benchmarks in this space with pathbreaking research initiatives.”   

"The Chair of Excellence will promote teaching, research and technology development in Aerospace Technologies, Aircraft Structural Integrity, Aircraft Health Monitoring, and other allied subjects in the fields of Aeronautics and Aviation.  It will facilitate development of training programs for IAF personnel which will provide platforms for dissemination of knowledge and novel ideas to innovate new technologies," the institute told the mediapersons.

The MoU was signed on September 8 at the force headquarters in Delhi by Air Vice Marshal Rajeev Sharma and IIT-K Dean Resources, Jayant Kumar Singh. The partnership will establish a long term relationship for academic and research-based interactions.