Trinity College Dublin and Thapar University Announce Partnership

Posted on: 03 July 2015

Trinity College Dublin and Thapar University announced an institutional partnership this week at a special event in New Dehli. The partnership will promote academic collaboration in the key areas of undergraduate programmes and research. The Provost & President of Trinity College Dublin and President of Thapar University, Mr Gautam Thapar signed the agreement.

The collaboration is a central component of a major contemporisation programme that Thapar University is undertaking. It will also significantly contribute to Trinity College Dublin’s global engagement in attracting high-calibre students.

In the delivery of a contemporisation programme, Thapar University will align its Engineering curriculum with that of Trinity College Dublin. This alignment will enable Trinity College to enter into a 2+2 Articulation Agreement with Thapar University. This means that eligible students who have completed 2 years of the undergraduate Engineering programmes at Thapar University may progress into Year 3 of undergraduate degree programmes in Civil, Mechanical, Biomedical, Electronic, and Computer, and Electronics & Computer Engineering at Trinity College.  Also, successful completion of Years 3 and 4 of the Trinity programme and its assessment will receive a Trinity College Dublin award. On completion of the degree, qualified students can apply to pursue a Masters qualification at Trinity by completing one additional year at Trinity.

It will also involve the funding of two senior academics working on joint research developments between Trinity College Dublin and Thapar University.

The professors will be in the School of Computer Science and Statistics and in the School of Engineering in agreed thematic research areas. Their roles will include teaching obligations at both institutions and will contribute to the development of a research culture at Thapar University, which in the future may have the potential of supporting the establishment of a research centre at Thapar University.

This commitment follows exploratory high-level discussions and visits by both institutions and a successful academic review in early November 2014, by Trinity College Dublin of four Thapar University departments: Civil Engineering, Computer Science & Engineering, Electronics & Communication Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering.

Trinity professors from Engineering (Civil, Electronic, and Mechanical), Computer Science and Statistics, as well as the Academic Secretary, formed part of the delegation and fully endorsed Thapar University’s contemporisation programme.

Following the review, senior academic and administrative management in Thapar University spent a week in Trinity, during which time Thapar University staff were given extensive access to Trinity’s education model and shadowed key staff in Engineering and Computer Science at Trinity. Additionally, Thapar University staff received further recommendations for academic development and extensive advice regarding implementation from Trinity.

Thapar University’s well-established reputation within India, together with the outstanding academic ability of its undergraduate students and good quality undergraduate programmes, provides a very strong platform for this collaboration.

Mr Gautam Thapar, President, Thapar University, stated: “We value our partnerships. This partnership will help address and bolster Thapar University’s position as a leading centre for higher education in India and in the region. We are pleased to have Trinity College Dublin’s support as we fulfil our mission of offering global standards in our deliverables at Thapar University and uphold the internationalisation of higher education in the country.”

Thapar University’s contemporisation programme will be strengthened from the experience and international reputation of Trinity College Dublin, its thriving international research output, its teaching-research culture, and its success in building research and innovation partnerships with national and international companies and industry.

Trinity College Dublin will benefit from collaborating with an Indian university such as Thapar University that has the ambition to be a global leader in its field. It will encourage joint research between the two institutions in areas of strength and opportunities for international mobility for faculty and students.

Speaking at the event, President, Thapar University, Mr Gautam Thapar said: “We are pleased to have Trinity College Dublin’s support as we fulfil our mission of offering global standards in our deliverables at Thapar University and uphold the internationalisation of higher education in the country. This partnership will help address and bolster Thapar University’s position as a leading centre for higher education in India and in the region.”

Provost & President of Trinity College Dublin¸ Dr Patrick Prendergast, said: “Trinity College Dublin’s global engagement attracts students and staff of the highest calibre and promotes mobility among our staff. This is enabled by the development of strategic partnerships and joint partnership degree programmes with institutions globally. Thapar University’s reputation in India, together with the outstanding academic ability of its undergraduate students and good quality undergraduate programmes, provides a very strong platform for this collaboration.

Commenting on the landmark moment Mr R.R. Vederah, Chairman of the Board of Governors, Thapar University, remarked:“We value Trinity College Dublin as a partner and look forward to a rewarding collaboration. Trinity College Dublin is one of the world’s oldest universities- over 400 years old. Its cutting-edge research, technology and innovation place the university at the forefront of higher education globally. This significant contemporisation promises to transform the education landscape in India and is in keeping with the trend of educational institutions coming together to forge global linkages and benefit their students, the leaders of tomorrow.”

Both Thapar University and Trinity College Dublin are also looking at collaboration in other areas of academia and research.

Media Coverage:

Business Standard

http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/thapar-univ-trinity-dublin-sign-collaboration-agreement-115062900627_1.php

The Economic Times

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/services/education/thapar-university-and-trinity-college-dublin-partner-to-offer-collaborative-programmes/articleshow/47865802.cms

The Times of India

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/City/Chandigarh/Thapar-University-partners-with-Trinity-College-Dublin/articleshow/47865917.cms

Newsvoir

http://www.newsvoir.com/release/thapar-university-partners-with-trinity-college-dublin-4699.php

India Education Diary

http://indiaeducationdiary.in/Shownews.asp?newsid=35000

PTI (Press Trust of India)