The Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Veterinary Education and Research (RIVER) has kickstarted efforts for broad-ranging academic and research collaboration with universities in France.
RIVER has been chosen as the initial collaborator from India, the other two being Khartoum in Sudan and Paris in France for an international comparative research project, “Justanima” that aims to address the animal and social welfare issues involving veterinarians in three countries.
As part of taking the collaboration forward, top researchers from three universities of France, Sophie Moreaum, Universite Paris Est Marne la Valee, Jean Gardin, Universite-Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne and Jean Estebanez, Universite Paris Est Creteil (UPEC) under the facilitation of Frederick Landy, Director of the French Institute of Pondicherry (IFP), had a pilot survey as part of the research project.
S. Ramkumar, RIVER Dean, said this was the first step towards a major collaborative project aimed at developing research collaborations and exchange programme of faculty and students between RIVER and other universities in France.
The French Institute of Puducherry has given the consent to act as a nodal agency for establishing collaborative research projects in the field of veterinary and allied sciences between institutions in France and RIVER, he said. Prof. Landy hoped that this initiative will further strengthen academic cooperation.
The stage for preliminary discussions on identifying areas for collaboration was set by a recent workshop hosted by the IFP themed “Justanima, Justice and Animals”, during which French researchers interacted with the faculty and students of RIVER.
The conclusions from the preliminary work carried out at RIVER were presented by the researchers along with the IFP Director.
The French delegation interacted with Prof. Ramkumar, M.G. Nair, Professor cum co-ordinator and S. Uma, Assistant Professor, co-coordinator of the Justanima project of RIVER.
Changing concepts
In their deliberations, the researchers detailed their observations made at RIVER and compared them with those made at the Veterinary School of Maison Alfort, Paris.
The changing concepts of animal welfare and the social identity of veterinarians in a changing environment were also part of the deliberations.
