Odisha inks MoU with University of California to enhance research ecosystem, train 1K researchers

Bhubaneswar: A delegation of the Odisha Government, which is on an official visit to Silicon Valley, today held a series of discussions with senior representatives of various organisations.

The delegation visited the University of California (UC) in Berkeley and met Mr Gauthier Vasseur, Executive Director of Fisher Center for Business Analytics; Dr Don Moore, acting Dean of Hass School of Business, and other eminent faculty members of the university.

A MoU was concluded between the Government of Odisha and UC Berkeley highlighting cooperation in areas of research, impact assessment of schemes, entrepreneurship, and exchange of academic publications.

As part of the understanding, the Government of Odisha and UC, Berkeley will collaborate on research projects and jointly organise conferences and workshops. Special emphasis will be on joint training workshops in high-tech areas and approximately 1,000 researchers are likely to be trained.

This MoU will also enable the Government to connect with UC, Berkeley’s illustrious alumni network for collaboration on various initiatives.

In the first phase of cooperation, pilot projects will be launched in areas such as Disaster Management and Climate Control, Healthcare, Fintech, and Agriculture. Partnerships in emerging-tech areas such as Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning and generative AI within the governance system will bring more transformation in public delivery mechanisms.

Collaboration on joint initiatives such as student exchange programs, start-up exchange programs, and start-up acceleration programs is also expected in the coming days.

The vast scope of this understanding will bring immense benefits to the state in terms of creating large employment opportunities.

Speaking on the occasion, Minister E&IT Tusharkanti Behera said, “I foresee innumerable areas of cooperation, knowledge sharing, collaboration and research in our journey together in the coming year which would create immense goodwill and produce benefits for both societies.”

Further highlighting the importance of this MoU, Development Commissioner Anu Garg added saying, “This partnership that entails collaboration in wide-ranging areas will provide a significant stimulus to Odisha’s research and development ecosystem and catalyse its progress.”

5T Secretary VK Pandian discussed the impressive transformation Odisha has undergone under the leadership of CM Naveen Patnaik and outlined the various ways in which this MoU will further help Odisha’s transformational journey.

The delegation met with Frost & Sullivan Chairman David Frigstad, a global consulting and advisory firm. Frost & Sullivan has submitted a Letter of Intent (LoI) to establish a Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bhubaneswar.

The CoE will help in creating a growth-oriented environment for investors, entrepreneurs, academicians, and students in partnership with industries to accelerate the development of the State.

Frost & Sullivan will also facilitate training programs in technological areas for over 50,000 youth in remote locations and villages.

Eminent leaders representing Amazon, Apple, Stanford University, Eficens, Unision Capital and Iron Pillar were also present during this meeting.

A focused interaction with Mr Yusuf Jamal, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Skyworks Solutions Inc also took place. A veteran of the electronics industry, Jamal oversees Skyworks’ Diversified Analog Solutions business encompassing the company’s analog, IoT and high-reliability product portfolios as well as the company’s smart audio business encompassing highly integrated analog system-on-chip platforms.

Skyworks Solutions is looking for its first investment in India, and the delegation briefed Mr Jamal on Odisha’s ‘Semiconductor Manufacturing and Fabless Policy 2023’, which received Cabinet approval.

The delegation invited the Skyworks team to visit Odisha and consider setting up an R&D facility.