New Delhi: A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between the Indian Institute of Crop Processing Technology (IICPT), Ministry of Food Processing Industries and the University of Manitoba, Canada to facilitate development of mutually beneficial academic programmes and courses.

The MoU was signed in the presence of Union Minister of Food Processing Industries Mr. Subodh Kant Sahai, Secretary Mr.Ashok Sinha, Deputy Minister of Federal-provincial and International Relations and Trade and Deputy Minister of Finance Mr. Diane Grey, Member of Legislative Assembly and Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier of Manitoba Mr. Bidhu Jha, at Hotel Taj Palace, New Delhi on today.

The MoU which was signed by Dr. K. Alagusundaram, the Director of IICPT and Dr. Digvir Jayas, Vice President (Research), University of Manitoba, Canada, intends to facilitate collaborative programs of research, training, curriculum, institutional development, information dissemination, and exchange of faculty, students and staff.

The linkage formed through this MoU between the two Institutions will further each partner institution's objectives as well as strengthen the mutual relationship between the partners.

The Minister, Mr. Sahai emphasised that since the current MoU between the two premier institutions specifically covers mostly academics and R&D, there is a need to prepare a more comprehensive and broad-based MoU between the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Government of India and Government of Manitoba to cover critical issues pertaining to Food Safety and Quality, Food Technology, Food Fortification and Nutrition, Incubation Centres to develop more industries locally and create more employment.

The University of Manitoba is an important educational institution in Central Canada. More than 25,000 students study in the Arts and Science, Engineering, Health and Law faculties.

The University offers bachelors, masters and doctoral programs in all these disciplines and has a faculty strength of more than 5000.

The University of Manitoba has strong academic and research programs in food and process engineering. It has an established state of the art, grain storage research centre in the campus which is the best in the world.

The Indian Institute of Crop Processing Technology (IICPT) is a Pioneer Research and Development Institute under the Ministry of Food Processing Industries.

The IICPT is located on the outskirts of the city of Thanjavur in Southern India, a paddy hub for the country. The Institute is unique and special because it is one of its kind in the country addressing the post harvest processing and preservation problems.

The mandates of IICPT include conducting basic, applied and adoptive research and development in post harvest processing, preservation and value addition of cereal grains, pulses, millets and oil seeds, and crops of wetlands and storm prone regions, and flood affected areas including plantation, spices and other important crops, bringing the technologies to the stake holders through training and seminars and human resource development in the areas of food processing technologies.

The IICPT also offers bachelors, masters and doctoral programs in food process engineering, starting 2009.

Following are the educational and academic exchanges considered in the MoU:

1. Development of mutually beneficial academic programmes and courses;

2. Exchange of academic staff for purposes of teaching and research;

3. Reciprocal assistance for visiting academic staff and students;

4. Coordination of such activities as joint research, lectures and training;

5. Exchange of documentation and research materials in fields of mutual interest, and

6. Exchange of students for study and research