In a significant move toward fostering academic collaboration, the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) Guwahati has formalized a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the ASEAN-India Network of Universities. This landmark agreement opens avenues for faculty and student exchange programs, as well as joint research initiatives between NIPER Guwahati and higher education institutions across ASEAN countries.

Under the terms of the MoU, NIPER Guwahati will actively participate in faculty exchange programs, facilitate doctoral student exchanges, and engage in collaborative research projects with esteemed educational institutions in ASEAN nations including Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

The MoU signing ceremony was presided over by Dr. USN Murty, Director of NIPER Guwahati, and Prof. Abhay Kumar Singh, Vice Chancellor of Nalanda University, which serves as the nodal institution for the ASEAN-India Network of Universities.

The ASEAN-India Network of Universities (AINU) was initially proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit in January 2018 and was officially launched on August 29, 2022, at the ASEAN Secretariat Headquarters in Jakarta. The inauguration ceremony was attended by dignitaries including India’s Union Minister of State for External Affairs & Education, Dr. Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, and Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dato Lim Jock Hoi, along with representatives from ASEAN member states and the Vice Chancellor of Nalanda University.

The primary objective of AINU is to establish a consortium that promotes collaborative research in emerging fields, fosters human capital development, and functions as a think tank through joint research projects, doctoral student exchanges, and faculty mobility programs. Key focus areas encompass Engineering, Science and Technology, Policy and Law-making, Trade and Investments, Peace and Security, Sustainable Development, Humanities, Religion, Cultural Intersections, and the Blue Economy.