Drawing on shared strengths, Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) and University of British Columbia (UBC) signed a partnership agreement on Tuesday to broaden and deepen academic and research collaborations between India and Canada, says a release.
With a focus in broad areas of public and global health, researchers from the two leading institutions will work together under the new agreement to address issues of global relevance outlined in the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Both UBC and MAHE are committed to harnessing their ample resources for the greater good.
Designated as an “Institution of Eminence” by the Government of India, Manipal-based MAHE prioritizes research topics based on societal impacts and strives to be a leader in addressing literacy, poverty and health. The university excels in drug discovery and delivery, healthy solutions to conditions such as diabetes and hypertension, personalized medicine, infectious diseases, climate change, energy, Artificial Intelligence and machine learning.
With campuses in Vancouver and British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley, UBC just launched its new global engagement strategy, In Service. The strategy targets developing students as global citizens, and enhancing scholarly activities and capacity development to help build a more just, sustainable world. One example is UBC’s approach to global health, responsive to today’s complex and inter-related issues spanning countries and continents. Over the years, UBC has developed deep expertise and involvement in global health across the university, with faculty members engaged in primary or related research, education and service activities. UBC is renowned for excellence in the health and medical sciences aspects of global health, in health policy, social and economic dimensions, Indigenous health, and environmental issues and climate change research related to the health of people and the planet.
“In Service prioritizes collaborations that address broad and profound challenges related to the economy, society and the biosphere,” said UBC President and Vice-Chancellor Santa J. Ono after signing the Statement of Cooperation. “UBC remains committed to fostering partnerships, such as this one, that seek a greater societal impact.”
UBC is also expanding the types of partnerships it pursues. Murali Chandrashekaran, UBC Vice-Provost, International said: “We are embracing the view that universities are ‘global actors,’ and must work collaboratively with partners from a range of sectors and geographies to contribute to capacity development and issues of global relevance, and to create global citizens and leaders. Working with MAHE will help us realize these goals and be of service to the world.”
MAHE Vice-Chancellor Lieutenant General Dr. M. D. Venkatesh commented that: “This relationship with UBC will be mutually beneficial through collaborative action and research opportunities involving students, academics and researchers from both institutions – and over time, will result in a more vibrant academic partnership between the two.”
Dr. Raghu Radhakrishnan, Director, International Collaborations, MAHE, further added: “That MAHE recognizes and appreciates the remarkable transformation in higher education through its transformational leadership”. The heart of this transformation is the creation of an ecosystem for excellent education and impactful research.
Researchers from MAHE and UBC have already been collaborating for many years in health sciences, and the new partnership will deepen these Canada-India ties. India is UBC’s second largest source of international students, with nearly 2,500 undergraduate and graduate students studying at the two campuses in 2020. UBC also maintains more than 20 strategic partnerships with Indian institutions.
