Prof. Vimal Chandra Srivastava, Dean of International Relations, IIT Roorkee, along with Prof. Basant Yadav, Department of Water Resources Development and Management, visited University College London (UCL), United Kingdom, on 8th September 2025 to advance discussions on academic and research collaborations.
They were warmly welcomed by Prof. Tao Cheng, Vice Dean International, who was joined by Prof. Marc-Olivier Coppens, Ramsay Memorial Professor in Chemical Engineering and Director of the UCL Centre for Nature-Inspired Engineering; Prof. Panagiota Angeli, FREng, FIChemE, Department of Chemical Engineering; Prof. Luiza Campos, Professor of Environmental Engineering; Dr. Alice Smalley, Director of Education and Student Experience; Ms. Lucy Thompson, Senior Student Recruitment Marketing Manager; Mr. Paul Wilson, International Partnerships Manager, Faculty of Engineering, along with other distinguished faculty and staff members of UCL.
The meeting focused on several key areas of mutual interest, including short-term staff mobility, joint research in water management, natural hazard risk management, energy, and nature-inspired engineering, as well as participation in the upcoming IIT Roorkee Water Management Conference to be held in February 2026.
Educational collaborations were also explored, particularly progression pathways through UCL’s 3+1+1 model and IIT Roorkee’s 4+1 model, which offer students integrated undergraduate and postgraduate opportunities.
The discussions further highlighted possibilities for industrial collaborations, especially in chemical engineering, and identified potential support through upcoming funding opportunities such as the Clean Energy Transition Partnership Joint Call 2025 and SPARC (Scheme for Promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration).
The visit concluded with a shared commitment to continue engagement and explore concrete initiatives to strengthen the partnership between Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee and UCL.