As the country is gearing up to meet the ever expanding needs of energy sector, IIT-Kharagpur is coming up with a Centre for Bio Energy and Research, which will cater to interdisciplinary research in bio fuel and bio energy.

“We have four departments, which work in the area of bio energy. They are departments of biotechnology, chemical engineering, agricultural and food engineering and energy engineering. The students of these departments will take up certain courses at the centre,” said Amit Patra, Dean of Alumni Affairs, IIT-Kharagpur. Apart from catering to undergraduate and post graduate students, the centre will also cater to doctorate students. The centre will also work in the area of increasing the production of bio ethanol from plants like Jatropha.

Prabhakant Sinha, an alumnus of the institute, has donated Rs 10 crore for setting up the centre. Sinha completed his BTech in mechanical engineering in 1970 and later co-founded Z S Associate — an US-based global management consulting firm specialising in sales and marketing consulting, capability building, and outsourcing.

The fund will act as seed fund for setting up the centre and the IIT authorities feel that it is with the help the alumni, government and other agencies, they are likely to come

up with more aid for the centre.

“We had no problem in coming to an understanding. Like the IIT-Kharagpur, Prabhakant Sinha had the same idea in mind about the research in the field of bio energy,” said Patra. The formal announcement of setting up the centre is yet to be done. The premier technology institute has tied up with University of California, Berkeley for mutual collaboration in this area. Last month, the institute tied up with another campus of University of California — San Diego — to set up a hospital and medical school.

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