IIT Roorkee signs MoU with BIS to work on standardisation and conformity assessment activities

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee has inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) to carry out activities in the field of standardisation and conformity assessment. As part of the collaboration, both bodies will work on civil, electrical, mechanical, chemical, earthquake engineering, development and management of water resources and renewable energy projects, infrastructure development, medical biotechnology and nanotechnology, and biomaterials, among others. According to a report in NDTV, the director of IIT Roorkee Professor Ajit K Chaturvedi, has said that both bodies will participate in the standardisation activities by means of technical panels. “We are happy to collaborate with the BIS and contribute to the country’s endeavour to ensure adequate standardisation and conformity assessment,” he said. Students in various engineering disciplines will be able to explore the national and international standards through this collaboration, he added. The entities will participate in the standardisation activity through the technical committees of the Bureau, which will also extend financial aid to set up a chair in the field of standardisation and conformity assessment at IIT Roorkee, reported Business World. According to The Indian Express, both bodies will be organising joint conferences, seminars, workshops, lectures, exchange publications and other literature that pertains to common interest. They will also take up R&D projects related to standardisation and conformity assessment as part of the collaboration. Pramod Kumar Tiwari, director general of BIS, said, “As the national standards body, we are excited to partner in their journey to move a step ahead so as to benefit national standardisation. We are also eager to join hands in promoting standards and their integration with curriculum.” The MoU also mentions that both the entities will have equal say in terms of ownership of any intellectual property that both teams have developed together. These properties include patents, any know-how document or any confidential information.