Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Manipal, and Dalhousie University, Canada, have signed a partnership agreement to broaden the academic and research aspirations between India and Canada. Lt Gen MD Venkatesh, Vice-Chancellor of MAHE, a press statement said that MAHE and Dalhousie are coming together for academic and research cooperation by signing a statement of cooperation. Inclusiveness and diversity inherent in Dalhousie's strategic plan aligns well with MAHE’s core values, he said.
It said Dalhousie is home to world-class researchers who are focused on the university’s strategic research clusters in key areas. From vaccine research to the investigation of the social, cultural and environmental determinants of health and wellness, Dalhousie’s approach to health research is grounded in an understanding that the health of individuals, communities and populations are interconnected and interdependent, it said.
Designated as an ‘Institution of Eminence’ by the Government, MAHE excels in drug discovery and delivery, healthy solutions to conditions such as diabetes and hypertension, personalised medicine, infectious diseases, climate change, energy, artificial intelligence and machine learning. It said that MAHE foresees immense potential in joint research and publications with leading universities across the globe.
In tandem with this agreement, the first online collaborative research workshop was held with a focus on cancer immunotherapy. In this, researchers from the two institutions had round-table discussions related to their areas of research and expertise.
Cancer immunotherapy has experienced remarkable advances in recent years and critical work is now underway to bring its benefits to patients around the world at an affordable cost. The statement said that this workshop brought together a small group of Dalhousie and MAHE researchers with common interests and expertise to spark discussions and new synergies that will lead to greater opportunities for joint research and advancement at both institutions.
Matt Hebb, Dalhousie’s Vice-President, Government and Global Relations, said collaborative research workshop will seed new connections among Dalhousie and MAHE researchers working directly in the field of cancer immunotherapy. Stating that there are many other areas of potential scholarly synergy, he said: “We look forward to exploring the potential for future linkages with MAHE in areas such as sustainability, global health, and artificial intelligence.”