The Defence Institute of Advanced Technology (DIAT), which is based in Girinagar, Pune, announced on Tuesday that it has inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow for the academic development of scientists and students of the two countries.

Speaking at a press conference held to announce the fourth convocation of the DIAT, the Vice Chancellor of DIAT – L M Patnaik stated that the MoU has been signed with Russian Academy of Sciences to “supplement its courses and augment cooperation in the field of basic sciences.”

Patnaik said, “Though the MoU, which was signed in November 2008, is not fully operational yet, we have set the ball rolling. It is a time-consuming process. We hope that Russian academic expertise will enrich our courses and the plan is have increased collaboration and exchange of ideas among faculty too. While exchange of faculty and students is a long-term plan, the MoU will enable DIAT students to receive guidance from the RAS in basic sciences.”

Answering a question about the viability of a MoU with Russia in the post-Cold War era while India has been making significant defence purchases from the US and France, Patnaik said, “Though many talented Russian scientists migrated to the USA and other countries owing to the lack of opportunities, especially after the collapse of the USSR and the resultant weak economy the Russians have always had a strong base in basic science, which includes physics, chemistry, mathematics and so on. While the Americans are good with theory, Russian scientists are better at pure analysis.”