New opportunities for scientific collaboration — including PhD student exchanges and shared postdoctoral positions — emerged during Thursday’s event, From Ideas to Impact: VSB-TUO – IIT Indore Collaboration Day, organized by the Materials-Envi Lab (MEL) at the Centre for Energy and Environmental Technologies (CEET). Researchers from VSB-TUO welcomed colleagues from the Indian Institute of Technology Indore, who attended scientific lectures and visited not only MEL but also the IT4Innovations National Supercomputing Center.
“Connections often lead to more connections. I have known Prof. Debayan Sarkar from IIT Indore for a long time—we first met when I was a postdoctoral researcher and he was a visiting professor at the University of Regensburg, Germany. Over the years, we have explored various possibilities for research collaboration. To give more concrete shape to these discussions, we decided to organize a joint meeting focused on identifying potential areas of collaboration and, more importantly, to discuss opportunities for joint funding applications. We are working on a project proposal within a European–Indian funding scheme,” said Indrajit Ghosh, the event organizer and group leader at MEL.
Researchers from VSB-TUO, who are also involved in the REFRESH project, discussed joint project opportunities, funding calls, and student exchange programs with representatives from IIT.
Our colleagues from IIT expressed keen interest in long-term cooperation, particularly in the areas of materials research, energy, catalysis, and biomedical technologies. Some collaborations are already underway, while in other areas we have agreed on the exchange of PhD students and the creation of shared postdoctoral positions. Our colleagues were enthusiastic about the experimental facilities built as part of the REFRESH project, especially the modern electron microscopy methods and instruments for research in the field of chemical synthesis, conversion, and energy storage. We also agreed on the outlines of a joint grant initiative focused on atomic engineering for use in medicine and energy,” said MEL Scientific Director Radek Zbořil. Indian partners also expressed interest in using the supercomputing facilities and the quantum computer at IT4Innovations.
“The visit was very beneficial. It was great to see the research group’s equipment and meet the local scientists. We found opportunities for cooperation and student exchanges,” confirmed Abhirup Datta, Dean of Research & Development at IIT Indore.
Three researchers associated with MEL presented their research at the meeting. Indrajit Ghosh, a chemist and a pioneer in photoredox catalysis, who recently joined VSB-TUO from the University of Regensburg, gave a lecture titled “Photoredox Catalysis with One or Two Photons & an Electron Transfer.”
Leading chemist Manoj Gawande from the Institute of Chemical Technology Mumbai, who is a visiting professor at the Nanotechnology Center at CEET, spoke at the meeting on the topic “Cutting-Edge Catalysis: Unveiling the Power of Emerging Single-Atom Materials.” The scientist and editor of several scientific journals focuses on the development and synthesis of nanomaterials for sustainable chemistry.
Chemist Jagadeesh Rajenahally, a world-renowned expert in homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis, synergy between these processes, and sustainable organic synthesis, is, among other things, the author of several publications in the journal Science. Catalysis for sustainable synthesis and the circular economy was also the subject of his presentation.
“The event was very successful. Our guests had the opportunity to learn not only about MEL’s state-of-the-art infrastructure, but also about the excellent research that is being conducted here. We are confident that this meeting has laid a solid foundation for strong and long-term beneficial cooperation,” concluded Ghosh..
