SKUAST-K secures 3rd Erasmus+ grant from European Commission

Srinagar, Aug 9: Continuing with its outreach efforts for internationalising higher education, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir has secured the third consecutive grant from European Commission for bilateral student and faculty exchanges and joint research through the Erasmus project.

Assistant Professor, Division of Plant Biotechnology, Dr Sajad Majeed Zargar, who is the coordinator of the SKUAST-K and EU joint programme, said the ‘Erasmus KA171 Project’ grant has been awarded as a joint academic and research collaboration initiative between SKUAST-K and University of Padova, Italy for three years from 2023 to 2026.

“This is a highly competitive grant funded by the European Commission and governed by the Italian National Agency,” he said.

Under this bilateral arrangement, many students from SKUAST-K have already availed short-term academic and research fellowships for undertaking part of their research/ training at the University of Padova, Italy. Last year two scientists from SKUAST-K also got the opportunity for undertaking teaching assignments at the University of Padova, Italy as visiting professors. The project will provide research opportunities for faculty and students of SKUAST-K to work at the University of Padova, Italy and open avenues for hosting students from Italy at SKUAST-K. The project is an impactful initiative to improve the global footprint and improve the educational and research ecosystem. The joint research carried out under the project has already been published in high-impact journals like Critical Reviews in Biotechnology, Frontiers in Plant Science, Journal of Plant Proteomics, and BMC Plant Biology.

Vice Chancellor, SKUAST-K, Prof Nazir Ahmad Ganai, congratulated Dr Sajad Majeed Zargar, the coordinator of this grant for this achievement and hoped that the collaboration between the two institutions will further strengthen the international outlook of the university. He emphasised that such efforts need to be scaled up in order to broaden opportunities for faculty and student capacity building as well as help the university become an active partner in global academic and research networks.