In 2015, the Project Advanced Nano materials for Clean Energy Applications (INCP-2014/10045) with a grant of 1 050 000 Norwegian Kroners was sanctioned by Norwegian Centre for International Cooperation in Education (SiU) and this further strengthened the collaboration between the two institutions. The INCP project, paved way for considerable increase in the mobility of Master, PhD students and academic staff between the two institutions and has also resulted in good number of research publications. As a part of this collaboration we have organized five international conferences so far.
All these activities made us to win the UTFORSK long term project entitled ‘Nanomaterials for Energy and Health Applications with ICT as Enabling Technology’ with a grant of 2 000 000 Norwegian Kroners. The academic and research activities between the two institutions is moving ahead in a blissful manner and this has helped us to win funding’s from INCP program (2015-2017), UTFORSK (2017-2020) and from NFR, NANO2021 (2013,2015) to arrange international conferences.
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
In partnership with public and private enterprises, the main objective of the UTFORSK project is to strengthen and expand the existing collaboration between the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences and Coimbatore Institute of Technology resulting in establishment of sustainable collaboration on research, innovation and higher education in nanomaterials for energy and health applications using ICT as the enabling technology.
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (HVL) and University of Jaffna (UoJ) jointly secured Norwegian Partnership Programme for Global Academic Cooperation (NORPART) Grant up to NOK 4.7 million (~ 85 million LKR) over the period of five years (2017 – 2021) under the theme of ‘Higher Education and Research collaboration on Nanomaterials for Clean Energy Technologies (HRNCET)’. Only 21 out of 114 eligible project applications have been selected for funding by Norwegian Centre for International Cooperation in Education (SIU). In addition, Royal Norwegian Embassy in Sri Lanka has funded HVL 6.2 million Norwegian Kroners (LKR 112 million) over a period of three years (2017-2019) for a project on Capacity Building and Establishment of a Research Consortium in Nanomaterials for Clean Energy Technologies.
The main objective of the project is to strengthen the collaboration between the partner institutions (Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Universities of Adger and Bergen, Norway, Coimbatore Institute of Technology (CIT), India and University of Peradeniya) in educational and research activities, and implement student and staff mobility within the field of clean energy technologies. The main objective of the project funded by the Royal Norwegian Embassy is to strengthen the existing collaboration between the partner institutions in the field of nanomaterials for energy technologies and to establish a clean energy consortium that includes private enterprises from Norway and Sri Lanka.
In March 2017, a high level delegation from the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (HVL), including the Vice Chancellor of HVL visited and signed a MOU and Collaborative agreement with the University of Jaffna. Prof. Kumaravadivel represented the University Grant Commission and the Deputy Ambassador Knut Nyflot represented the Royal Norwegian Embassy at the inaugural function along with academics, students and well-wishers.
On 07.07.2017, the project coordinators Prof.P.Ravirajan, and Prof. Dhayalan Velauthapillai signed an Institutional Technical Assistance Contract on Capacity Building and Establishment of a Research Consortium in Nanomaterials for Clean Energy Technologies in relation to above project at the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Colombo in the presence of the Norwegian Ambassador, His Excellency Thorbjørn Gaustadsæther. This collaborative initiative will be funded by the Royal Norwegian Embassy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Norway as part of its development cooperation programme.