On April 2025, Prof. Richard B. Heeks, Director, Centre for Digital Development, The University of Manchester, United Kingdom, visited the International Relations Office at Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee to discuss opportunities for academic and research collaborations. He was accompanied by Prof. Paritosh Mohanty from the Chemistry Department and Prof. Gaurav Dixit from the Department of Management Studies.
During the visit, Prof. Heeks interacted with Prof. Vimal Chandra Srivastava, Dean of International Relations, IIT Roorkee, and engaged in discussions with IR officials and faculty members. The conversations revolved around exploring opportunities for joint research, faculty and student exchanges, and collaborative projects in the fields of digital development, information and communication technology (ICT) for development, and related interdisciplinary areas.
A significant outcome of the meeting was Prof. Vimal Chandra Srivastava’s initiation of a generic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to formalize the collaboration and establish a framework for strengthening academic and research ties between IIT Roorkee and the University of Manchester.