M S University launches first Directorate of Research to enhance interdisciplinary collaborations

VADODARA: M S University has constituted its first directorate of research in alignment with the Gujarat Public University Act, 2023. The step is aimed at fostering high-quality, collaborative, and interdisciplinary research.Professor P K Jha from the Department of Physics and Professor Anjali Patel from the Department of Chemistry were appointed as director and associate director of research, respectively. The duo recently featured among Stanford University’s list of the world’s top 2% scientists.MSU Vice-Chancellor Professor Bhalchandra Bhanage said that the directorate aims to unify and strengthen the university’s research and consultancy framework, enhancing faculty participation in innovative projects of national importance.The directorate intends to establish and maintain relationships between the research centres of the university and researchers in the public and commercial sectors at the local, national, and global levels.“It will encourage collaboration and collaborative research with industry to create mutually beneficial relationships. It will also work as a linkage with industries in order to develop partnerships and collaborative research as well as facilitate appropriate technology transfer, contract research, and commercialisation of intellectual property,” said MSU Registrar K M Chudasama, adding that the university also intends to provide seed money to boost research.The directorate will play an important role in transferring knowledge to the community through outreach activities such as collaborative research, seminars, workshops, lectures, and publications.