Five-year MoU to promote joint research, technical training and industry-academia collaboration

 

THEBUSINESSBYTES BUREAU

BHUBANESWAR, OCTOBER 7, 2026

Centurion University, Odisha, and the Survey of India (SoI) have entered into a five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen academic, research and professional collaboration in Geomatics and Geospatial Technology.

The agreement was signed at the university’s Jatni campus on Wednesday by Bharat Kumbhar, Director, Survey of India, and Prof. (Dr) Supriya Pattanayak, Vice-Chancellor, Centurion University, Odisha.

The partnership seeks to promote joint research and development, capacity building, knowledge exchange and technical training in the rapidly evolving geospatial sector. It is also aimed at creating stronger linkages between academic institutions and professional organisations working in spatial technology.

As part of the agreement, students of Centurion University will receive practical exposure through internship programmes at Survey of India offices. At the same time, SoI officers will have opportunities to pursue short-term specialised training programmes and enrol in M.Tech and Ph.D. programmes at Centurion University, subject to institutional norms.

Prof. Pattanayak said the collaboration was in line with the university’s vision of skill-integrated higher education.

 “This partnership aligns with our core vision of skill-integrated higher education. Giving our students direct exposure to Survey of India’s national mapping projects while hosting SoI professionals for advanced research will bridge the academia-industry gap and drive meaningful innovation in spatial science,” she said.

The MoU also provides for joint research and development projects, national and international conferences, workshops and technical exchanges. The two institutions will explore opportunities for co-authoring scientific publications, securing patents and facilitating technology transfer.

A Joint Steering Committee will be constituted to oversee, coordinate and periodically review the collaborative initiatives undertaken under the agreement.

Emphasising the importance of developing expertise in spatial technologies, Kumbhar said geospatial data had become central to infrastructure development, governance and sustainable planning.

 “Geospatial data is the backbone of modern infrastructure, governance, and sustainable planning. Collaborating with Centurion University allows us to upskill our workforce through higher academic research while nurturing the next generation of geospatial experts equipped to tackle real-world development challenges,” he said.

The collaboration is expected to contribute to the development of the research, skill-development and geospatial education ecosystem in Odisha and across the country by bringing together academic expertise and the technical capabilities of the national surveying organisation.

At the ceremony, Jagannath Padhi, Campus Director; Dr. Biswajit Mishra, Pro Vice-Chancellor; Dr. Sujata Chakravarty, Director, IIC; Kumar Chandra Sethi; and Dr. Kamal Kumar Barik of the Department of Civil Engineering, represented Centurion University.

From the Survey of India, Jayanta Ku Pradhan, Technical Officer; Debasish Das, Officer Surveyor; Sankar Prasad, Officer Surveyor; and Manoj Kumar Nayak, Officer Surveyor, along with university staff, were present.