By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, Apr 3, 2017 : Odisha government on Monday signed a Statement of Intent (SOI) with the University of Chicago and the University of Chicago Trust in India to facilitate research, knowledge and capacity building.

The SOI, signed here in presence of chief minister Naveen Patnaik, focuses on sectors like energy and environment, health and water and sanitation through the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC-India) and the Tata Centre for Development (TCD).

“The world is undergoing fast changes cutting across various fields and changing paradigms are evident. Future will be driven by knowledge and technology-centric solutions, Hence, knowledge partnership between premier universities and policy makers in the governments across the globe have become an important imperative,” Patnaik said.

As Odisha marches ahead towards its vision for future, Patnaik said such collaborations need to become an integral part of the state’s planning process.

“One of the objectives for entering into this collaboration will also be to seek expertise in setting up virtual academy for digitisation, preservation and improved access of archival material of Odia language and culture,” the Chief Minister said.

EPIC-India, a satellite office of the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago, focuses on working with Indian policy makers to tackle energy-related challenges.

Associate Provost and Senior Advisor to the president at the University of Chicago, Balaji Srinivasan, said “It is a privilege to work with the government of Odisha. We are optimistic that the partnership will result in innovative solutions to critical energy and environment challenges in the state.”

Professor Anup Malani, Faculty Director of the Tata Centre for Development, said “Our development-focused research, implementation and training projects in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Rajasthan, Delhi and other states position us well to serve Odisha’s needs in health, water and sanitation as well as education.”