Representatives of the Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) and Menlo Park City in California, the U.S., have agreed to cooperate on mutually beneficial areas by establishing student exchange programmes and supporting campus start-ups here.
The broad areas of collaboration were discussed at a meeting between Cusat Vice Chancellor J. Letha and Menlo Park Mayor Catherine Carlton on Tuesday.
“The visiting delegation was also interested in launching twinning programmes between Cusat and educational institutions in Menlo Park City. They also evinced keen interest in offering various open online courses to us,” Dr. Letha told The Hindu .
Three-member team
Ms. Carlton, who is leading a three-member delegation on a six-day visit to Kerala, had on Monday assured guidance and mentoring for technology start-ups in the State.
The city is set to sign a twin city programme with Kochi on Wednesday, the first such agreement with an Indian city.
As part of joining hands with Cusat, Menlo Park City authorities proposed student exchange programmes that would help youngsters in learning more about research and academic possibilities in both the cities.
Exchange programme
To begin with, an exchange programme involving management students here and those representing a management school in Menlo Park would be organised.
The representatives also assured support to young entrepreneurs in colleges affiliated to Cusat a chance to travel to the Silicon Valley to learn about building a tech-company. Cusat has plans to set up an incubation facility on the lines of the Startup Village to encourage entrepreneurship among young talents. The varsity has drawn out a Rs.one crore initial project to step up infrastructure for the proposed facility.
The visiting delegation also expressed its willingness to offer massive open online courses (MOOCs) to Cusat. Discussions on the proposed online courses will be initiated soon.
Menlo Park mayor Catherine Carlton on Tuesday met Elias George, Managing Director, Kochi Metro Rail Limited, and attended a presentation on the urban transport sector of Kochi.
“The presentation, focusing on Urban Metropolitan Transport Authority and the metro rail, revolved around the development prospects of the Greater Kochi region with regard to urban transport infrastructure,’’ said Mr. George.
Transportation apps
One of the major topics that came up for discussion was on the development of transportation-related apps to ensure efficient utilisation of public transit systems.
The visit lasted for about 30 minutes. The mayor, leading a three-member delegation, was also accompanied by Sanjay Vijayakumar, chairman of the Kochi start-up village.
Ms Carlton also met Shyam Srinivasan, chairman of the Kerala council of Confederation of Indian Industry and managing director of Federal Bank, here on Tuesday. The discussions were focused on a long-term strategy to support development projects in Kochi, sources in the industry said.
The foreign delegation is currently on a tour of the State.
