To strengthen the industrial and interdisciplinary research in cost-effective exploration activities, IIT has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with an institute of the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation.

Under this MoU, the two institutes will take on several developmental projects and research projects in drilling, drilling fluids, cementing fluids and completion fluids, etc.

The MoU between IIT Kharagpur and the Institute of Drilling Technology, Dehradun was signed earlier in the week. However, a formal announcement will be made after completing all the remaining processes, an IIT spokesperson told PTI.

The collaboration will bring forth the industrial and interdisciplinary research initiatives that are currently being undertaken at the Deysarkar Centre of Excellence in Petroleum Engineering (DCEPE).

DCEPE professor, Sandeep Kulkarni, also informed that one of the Research and Development projects for the development of thermally -stable drilling fluids has already been initiated. Several other collaborative efforts will also be initiated under the MoU.

The IDT is responsible for providing techno-economic expertise and solutions to problems faced by the ONGC. The institute aims at providing cos-effective exploration and production activities, stated ONGC on its website.

According to the Dean of R&D at IIT Kharagpur, Suman Chakraborty, MoU would help the industry in exploring new perspectives to the lab-to-market translational research initiatives.

Such MoUs will also bring a synchronisation between academia, R&D, and industry, which is quite rare in other sectors and industries of India.

IIT Kharagpur director V K Tewari said these industry-academia collaborations would help in unlocking robust technological development and advancements for the holistic development of the mineral exploration industry and will also enable the students to be industry-ready.

This is not the first time, that ONGC has collaborated with an IIT to enhance its mineral exploration activities. In 2015, ONGC collaborated with pan-India IITs to work collectively in its Research and Development programme for developing indigenous technologies for the enhancement of exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons and alternate sources of energy. Under the initiative, ONGC's institutes worked closely with IIT professors and students under advanced research programs and projects for the Exploration and Production sector of the country. Under the collaboration, the organisation promoted internships, field visits, adjunct faculty programmes, and research-oriented career programmes through its scholarships.