F??d??ration Gay-Lussac (FGL) had a two-day event at IIT Bombay during October 3-4, 2024 under the FGL-IIT partnership. The event was intended to have an in-person discussion among all the member universities to boost student and faculty exchange as well as to strengthen the partnership via academic and research collaborations. The agenda of this event was ???Building and renewing the research collaborations between FGL-IITs???.

Day one of the event was dedicated to the meeting between FGL and IIT Bombay on October 3, 2024. The FGL team comprises of 13 delegates from 11 French university, led by the FGL Vice-President - Prof. Jacques Mercadier interacted with IIT Bombay???s Prof. Ruchi Anand (Professor of Chemistry) and SINE. The FGL team had an engaging interaction with the IIT Bombay, who serves as a national coordinator for IITs. The FGL and IIT representatives gave presentations about their facilities and scope of further cooperation that could take for consideration. Later the FGL team visited IIT Bombay???s Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Departments, where they visited labs and interacted with the researchers and students. The day ended with a welcome dinner where the French delegates and IIT representatives had an informal interaction. Dr Philippe Maurin (Scientific and Academic Cooperation Attach?? based in Mumbai, India) been invited to join this gathering and he had an opportunity to meet the FGL-IIT partnership delegates under one roof and addressed with a keynote speech.

Day two of the event was dedicated to the FGL-IIT Network Meeting that held on October 4, 2024. In the presence of IIT Bombay Director Prof. Shireesh B. Kedare and Dr Maurin, the Dean-International Relations Prof. Sudarshan Kumar delivered a welcome address to all the FGL and IITs delegations. The session was started by the FGL Vice-President to chair the first session of presentations from FGL team and Prof. V.C. Srivastava (Dean-International Relations, IIT Roorkee) chaired the next session of presentations from the IIT team. Both the team had a fruitful speed networking during the session and discussed their intuitional overall facility and possibility to expand the academic and research engagement through this network. Dean-Strategy, Prof. K.P. Kaliappan concluded the session with a closing remark ???Balance should be in equation??? in respect of exchange of students between France and India.

Similar to this Network Meeting which held at Mumbai, India in 2024, the next meeting will be scheduled at Lyon, France in 2026.

Our office was honoured to host the IIT Bombay Virtual Winter School 2024, a remarkable program that showcased the institution???s commitment to academic excellence and global outreach. From December 2 to 13, 2024, this virtual initiative brought together 62 participants from 9 countries and 20 universities, offering them a unique opportunity to engage with IIT Bombay???s distinguished faculty and innovative learning environment.

The program featured 10 courses, each lasting 5 days, designed to cater to diverse academic interests and real-world challenges. The course topics included:

• ???Becoming??? an Entrepreneur: Leveraging Your University and Local Ecosystem
• Cognition, Emotion, and Mindfulness
• Introduction to Biostatistics
• Power Electronics
• Sustainable Marine Engineering and Blue Economy
• Waste to Energy
• AI EdTech Product Sprint: From Vision to Validated MVP in 5 Days
• Data-Driven Modelling of Flows
• Online Machine Learning and Optimization
• Sustainable Buildings

We are immensely grateful to the dedicated professors who shared their time, knowledge, and expertise, making each course an invaluable experience for the participants. Their commitment to teaching and mentoring reflects the very essence of IIT Bombay???s academic culture.

We also extend our sincere thanks to the participants for their enthusiasm, curiosity, and active engagement throughout the program. Their contributions and willingness to learn have been instrumental in making the Virtual Winter School a resounding success.

The Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia being invited by IRCC to attend TechConnect 2024 Exhibition on December 17, 2024. The CG Mr. Wardoyo was accompanied by Mr. Eko Santoso Junor, Consul (Socio-Culture) and his team member. The CG expressed his interest to have an interaction with the Dean of International Relations to discuss upon boost in sending Indonesia students to IIT Bombay. During this meeting, Prof. Sudarshan Kumar of IIT Bombay???s International Relations have showcased the existing and ongoing activities between IIT Bombay and its partner Indonesia universities. After the meeting, the delegates pay visit to TechConnect exhibitions and interacted with the booth exhibitors. Later, the delegates had a brief meeting with Associate Dean Research and Development.

A delegation of faculty members from Mahidol University and Asian Institute of Technology, both in Thailand, visited IIT Bombay on January 14, 2025. The delegation was hosted by Prof. Vivek Sangwan at the Department of Mechanical Engineering chaired by Prof. Atul Sharma. The delegation was led by Prof. Jackrit Suthakorn who is the founding executive director of the Centre for Biomedical and Robotics Technology (BART) and former Dean of Engineering at Mahidol University, Thailand. Prof. Suthakorn is also currently serving as the President of the Council of Engineering Deans of Thailand. Mahidol University has a focus on Medical Sciences and BART specifically focuses on Engineering and Robotics for Medical applications. The delegation had a collaborative discussion with Prof. Kaliappan, Dean Strategy, in general and in pursuing student and faculty exchange in the area of Robotics and Control serving in the health sector to initiate an institutional partnership. The delegation also visited several Robotics and Bio-Medical Research Laboratories at IIT Bombay.

Mahidol University, Thailand:

• Prof. Jacktrit Suthakorn, Founding Executive Director BART
• Dr. Nandita Nillahoot, Innovation Director, BART
• Miss Choladawan Moonjaita, Research Project Director, BART
• Dr. Yuttana Itsarachaiyot, New Knowledge Director, BART

Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand:

• Prof. Branesh Madhavan Pillai, Assistant Professor

IIT Bombay, India:

• Prof. Atul Sharma, Head, Mechanical Engineering
• Prof. Krishna P. Kaliappan, Dean Strategy (acting Dean International Relations)
• Prof. Vivek Sangwan, Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering

An Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB), Indonesia official Prof. Lavi Rizki Zuhal, (Vice Dean of Academic Affairs, Faculty of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering) visited IIT Bombay during January 28-29, 2025. His visit was hosted by Prof. Amit Agrawal and the IR office. Prof. Lavi visit is the outcome of an ongoing discussion upon Joint Accelerated Program (4+1 program) proposal between ITB, Indonesia and IIT Bombay. The idea of having such program between both the institute been seeded during IIT Bombay???s delegation visit to ITB in September 2022. Post this event several meetings been held to discuss upon its format in context of both the institutes academic criteria. On January 28, 2025, the three involved department of IIT Bombay had a discussion meeting with Prof. Lavi along with the Dean AP and the Academic officials. This initiative has been reaching to a stage now where the program could start in next year to welcome ITB students for their joint postgraduate degree at IIT Bombay. Post this meeting, Prof. Lavi had a departmental meeting with the HoD of Aerospace, Mechanical, and Material Department and its faculty members. He also visited several labs of these three departments.

A delegation from the German state of Baden-W??rttemberg visited IIT Bombay on February 8, 2025, led by Ms. Petra Olschowski, Minister for Science, Research, and Art. The delegation included representatives from the Ministry of Science, prominent universities in Baden-W??rttemberg, and other relevant research authorities. Their visit aimed to establish connections with IIT Bombay's esteemed faculty. During the visit, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed with Stuttgart Technical University of Applied Sciences to promote institutional collaboration and student exchange. Additionally, IIT Bombay professors engaged with the delegation to explore opportunities for future collaborations.

The 2025 General Assembly of SATU Presidents' Forum of Southeast and South Asia and Taiwan Universities (SATU Presidents' Forum) held on March 12-13, 2025. The National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) hosted the 2025 General Assembly, uniting the Presidents and representatives from 65 universities across 8 countries. The General Assembly, themed "Sustainable Governance for University" emphasized the vital role of universities in cultivating future leaders and advancing societal development amidst global challenges. Engaging discussions highlighted sustainability, digital transformation, and cultural heritage, reinforcing a collective commitment to innovate and collaborate for a stronger higher education network.

Chair of the SATU Presidents??? Forum, President Meng-Ru Shen of NCKU, expressed gratitude to all member universities for their commitment to building a robust higher education network that fosters partnerships and innovation. Chair Prof. Hong-Chen Chen, Secretary-General of the SATU Presidents??? Forum and Executive Vice President of NCKU, stated that since its establishment in 2003, the SATU Presidents??? Forum has become a key academic and research platform comprising 105 member institutions from 10 countries.

The IIT Bombay became a member university during 2013-14 Steering Committee. Since than IIT Bombay sustain their cooperation in forum and the involvement in various activities. This year's General Assembly, Prof. Shireesh Balwant Kedare, Director of IIT Bombay, India, was elected as the new SATU Chair by the Steering Committee Members. The SATU forum will continue to strengthen its global presence and foster new collaborations and partnerships among member universities in leadership of IIT Bombay.

The MoU was formally exchanged on December 19, 2024, by Prof. Shireesh B. Kedare, Director of IIT Bombay, and Prof. Teiji Tominaga, President of Tohoku University, in the presence of Dr. Sharad Kumar Saraf, Chairman of the Board of Governors at IIT Bombay, along with distinguished representatives from TU Japan. As part of this collaborative initiative, the Dual-Doctoral Degree Ph.D. Program (DDDP)/Cotutelle was launched for the academic year 2025???26, with the MoU signing for this specific program held on April 15, 2025, hosted by Tohoku University. The program aims to facilitate joint Master's and Ph.D. research, offering students dual supervision, access to cutting-edge research facilities, and immersive academic experiences across both institutions.

During Week 1, we welcomed 30 students, while Week 2 saw an increase in participation with 51 students, bringing the total to over 81 participants. Across these two weeks, eleven courses were offered covering diverse topics such as continuous process intensification, financial derivatives, mechatronics, artificial intelligence, entrepreneurship, sustainability, energy data analytics, network security, and climate intelligence. Participants represented a truly diverse international cohort, joining us from over 16 countries???including Bangladesh, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, Oman, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and the United States???and from more than 24 universities. Esteemed institutions included KU Leuven, Technical University of Denmark, ESCP Business School, Politecnico di Milano, Kyoto University, Tohoku University, The University of Tokyo, Universiti Utara Malaysia, Birmingham City University, Dhofar University, Financial University, Universidade de Vigo, among many others from around the world.

IIT Bombay had the pleasure of hosting Mr. Koji Yagi, Consul General of Japan in Mumbai, and Ms. Megumi Hamuro, Consul (Cultural Section), on July 23, 2025. The delegation engaged with faculty and leadership across several strategic initiatives, including the IITB Research Park, Society for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (SINE), Japanese-connected start-ups incubated under SINE, Semiconductor Research Group, Technology Innovation Hub, and Disaster Management Team.