Queen's University, Belfast, plans to have a collaborative research partnership with BESU. The representatives of the varsity are on two-day visit to BESU to discuss future academic links which involve split site studentship, staff exchanges and research partnership.

Both the universities will sign a memorandum of understanding on establishing centres of higher research in water resources engineering, material sciences and automotive engineering, and electronics and communication. The varsities will also have a collaborative research programme with a split side studentship in above mentioned areas. In this, Ph.D students from both varsities will spend two years at Queen's University and a year at BESU. Moreover, 20 finalyear students from BESU's electronics engineering department will undergo practical training at Belfast.

Queen's University, with the help of BESU, will also facilitate industry partnership between its Institute of Electronics Communication and Information Technology (ECIT) and Webel.

BESU Vice Chancellor N R Bannerjea said that universities like the Queen's University would provide a boost to technical education. According to Chris Gibson, ProChancellor of Queen's University, "We live in an era where 90 per cent products go out of the market within two years. In this regard, the role of academic institutions is to go for research and help industries produce new products."

BESU is also working towards setting up an incubator at the institute with the help of state Department of Information Technology. "It will be a facility where industries wanting to carry out research work can start working immediately," said state IT Minister Debesh Das.