Research Network | News

U.S. Delegation Headed to India for Research Network Partnership

• By Rhea Kelly
• 03/19/14

Michael McRobbie, president of Indiana University, and David Lambert, president of Internet2, are leading a group of U.S. college presidents, chief information officers and researchers to New Delhi to establish a partnership with the National Knowledge Network (NKN), the leading national research and education network in India.

The purpose of the international partnership is to "improve research, education and economic and social developments regarding education, technology, Internet freedoms, agriculture, public health, fine arts, culture and business," according to a statement from Internet2.

"Nearly all areas of science and research today rely essentially on digital technology and are digitally enabled," said McRobbie in a press release. "And the Internet means that science and research are no longer limited to the borders of one country but are truly international no matter what the areas. Vital to international collaborative digital science and research are the high-speed national research and education networks and the essential connections between them. The advanced networking partnership between Internet2 and the NKN will enable American and Indian scientists to collaborate in major new ways and use it to drive new growth and research innovations for generations to come. Indeed, it promises to have an enormous impact in a wide range of areas that enhanced the quality of life for people in both of our countries and around the world."

"U.S. higher education leaders are forming a partnership with India's major academic and government institutions to enable the Internet2 Network and India's National Knowledge Network to provide major transformation through innovation and support for globally shared research, education and communications," commented Lambert.

Lambert will sign a memorandum of understanding with NKN to establish the partnership between the two organizations.