Thapar, Ireland varsities join hands for research

Tribune News Service

Patiala, September 15

Thapar University will soon come up with an engineering energy and environment institute with the help of Trinity College Dublin (TCD), Ireland, to promote research activities on the campus. They will be hiring two teachers each from India and Ireland to kick-start the institute that will exclusively work in the field of research.

RR Vederah, chairman of the board of governors, said a modernisation plan for the important teaching and research laboratories in consultation with the TCD was being implemented at a cost of Rs 70 crore.

Vederah said the university was focussing on a vision to move from being good to being excellent and be ahead of the curve in higher education by bringing in global standards across the board. To achieve this goal, the university was implementing a major contemporisation programme in partnership with the TCD.

“The partnership with Trinity focuses on strategies to deliver a research inspired, outcome-based educational experience to students at all levels. The introduction of multi-disciplinary engineering design courses includes experiential learning. The partnership with Trinity includes all major academic and research activities and strengthens Thapar University’s position as a leader in higher education in the region and the country.”

Dr Patrick Prendergast, president and provost of the TCD, said: “For both Thapar and TCD, it has been a good month. Thapar has entered the Times Higher Education world university rankings for the first time and whereas Trinity also continues to rise in these rankings.”

“We have risen in both Times Higher Education and the QS rankings, and we have joined the League of European Research Universities (LERU), Europe’s leading network of research-intensive universities that further strengthens our voice and position internationally.  We have also just been ranked first in Europe for graduate entrepreneurship for the third year in a row by Pitchbook,” he said.

These are achievements that Thapar students will also benefit from. The 18 Thapar students who have been with us over the past two years have done well in their studies and we will be welcoming a new cohort of 39 students studying Engineering and Computer Science in the next week, said Dr Patrick.

“I am delighted to see the ongoing expansion of the Thapar campus, especially the new Learning Centre. Trinity is also embarking on significant developments such as E3, our Engineering, Energy and Environment Institute, at the heart of which will be the E3 Learning Foundry. This will expand our technology base through increased project driven teaching, targeted research and deepened industry interaction.  Thapar students will benefit from these plans in this ongoing partnership that both our universities value greatly,” said Dr Patrick.

Meanwhile, the Thapar University offers a basket of undergraduate engineering and a 2+2 credit transfer programme, International Engineering Program (IEP), in collaboration with the TCD. The faculty at the university is being deputed for post-doctoral work at top universities. This year 10 faculty members will visit the best in the world, including Trinity College Dublin, Virginia Technology, Waterloo and Oxford University.

Rs 70-crore modernisation plan

Thapar University will come up with an engineering energy and environment institute in colloboration with Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, to promote research activities on the campus. RR Vederah, chairman of the board of governors, said a modernisation plan for the important teaching and research laboratories in consultation with the Trinity College Dublin was being implemented at a cost of Rs 70 crore.