IIT-Kanpur, Vietnam Univ Sign MoU for Academic, Research Ties

• IIT Kanpur and VNU sign MoU for academic research collaboration.
• Focus on AI, smart cities, materials, drones, and sustainability.
• Olympiad pathway admits five students, all choosing Computer Science.

The Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur and Vietnam National University have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote cooperation in academia and research across various disciplines.

The agreement seeks to create a formal arrangement to enhance collaborative research, academic exchange, and scientific progress mutually. The pact aims to support researchers, faculty, and students at each institution, promoting knowledge sharing and encouraging innovation.

Key sectors recognized for cooperation encompass utilizing Artificial Intelligence (AI) in medical diagnostics and hospital applications specific to Vietnam, AI-enhanced education and research, such as language acquisition tools, infrastructure flaw identification through sophisticated AI techniques, smart city development projects, material forecasting, and novel carbon-carbon material applications, and drone technology for rescue missions and enhancing agricultural output.

Prof Manindra Agrawal, Director, IIT Kanpur, added, “IIT Kanpur has a strong ongoing research activity in the areas of environmental engineering, sustainable energy, smart city development, as well as artificial intelligence and drone technology. I hope this collaboration with VNU will lead to enhanced capacity building and tackling the pressing problems of both India and Vietnam through collaborative research.”

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Prof Nguyen Dinh Duc, Dean of the Faculty of Civil Engineering, VNU, said, “Our visit to IIT Kanpur has been extremely fruitful, and we have visited some of the excellent research facilities here. IIT Kanpur has expertise in many of the critical areas of research that are important to our institution as well. I look forward to strong collaborations between IITK and VNU, both on academic and research fronts.”

IIT Kanpur has accepted five students into its BTech and BS programs for the 2025–26 academic year via the Olympiad pathway, circumventing the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Advanced 2025. Each of them has chosen to join the Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) department.

IIT Kanpur provided Olympiad-based seats in five fields — Computer Science and Engineering, Mathematics and Statistics, Economic Sciences, Biological Sciences and Bioengineering, and Chemistry.