The Challenge

Environment challenges that confront any given country are not unique to that nation alone. This is because environmental problems permeate territorial demarcations, highlighting common grounds to address universal concerns of human survival. Moreover, crucial problems such as the climate change have environmental, social and economic implications at local, regional and global levels. Usual socio-economic issues such as poverty, illiteracy and economic development are controllable at national level efforts. Unlike them, the environmental issues such as biodiversity erosion, pollution hazards and resource depletions are quite complex, dangerous and cause irreparable damages to the natural systems that threaten the survival of humans. Therefore, academics need to improve understanding of the origin, interrelationships and implications of the different environmental problems in detail. Developmental efforts for new strategies of control and mitigation of the climate change require international collaborative research efforts.
Capitalizing on the unique attributes of St Berchmans College for academic excellence and research, particularly in the internationally recognized field of environment, an ‘International Center for Collaborative Research’ is now initiated. This is mainly to pursue actions for a sustainable and environment friendly world that requires extensive global cooperation in research. This is an outcome of the convictions that the entire campus community needs to focus their research mainly to solve issues related to environmental inventory, energy crises, pollution abatement, and ecological as well as biotechnological solutions to conservations. These are the areas where collaborative research traditionally has proven to be highly fruitful. Environmental challenges require a coordinated approach at international levels. Moreover, collaborative research, education, and skill-sharing can help bridge the gap between international understanding and fostering of friendship among people at large. Therefore, the establishment of an international center for collaborative research has become inevitable.

The Goal

Our goal is to develop an ‘International Centre for Collaborative Research’ for teachers and students to interact with diverse specialists of the developed world working towards environmental problem solving. Such interactions would enable our academics to optimum use of academic resources and to achieve global competence in research activities towards one of the pressing problems that confront humans today, the climate change. The ultimate goal is to enable our researchers to become committed and globally competent towards better understanding of the climate change issues and its solutions.

Mission

Enable St Berchmans community to acquire global competency through international training, association with globally competent experts, find ample funds for infrastructure development in research towards global standards and to build a global-minded community at St Berchmans, while extending the College's strengths abroad.

Vision

St Berchmans College is committed to an international vision that is nimble, flexible and driven by academic endeavors. Teachers and students should receive advanced training from abroad and research opportunities in various disciplines related to modern eco-technologies and sustainability studies. We should enable teachers and students to consider the future of science and technology on a global scale and to promote international academic exchanges by conducting joint studies with foreign researchers.

Aims and Objectives

1. Conduct international seminars/symposia/work-shops regularly and also invite experts from abroad for colloquiums and lectures on global environment related issues towards identification of collaborative research programmes 2. Help researchers understanding the procedural requirements for international research funding and to tackle problems for which long-term stable funding is essential 3. Finding and identifying international agencies that give grants for specific research purpose towards global climate change related studies 4. Enable teachers to submit project proposals along with foreign experts of mutual interest on global climate change related research themes to international agencies 5. Facilitate international scholarly networks on global themes such as climate change that enable St Berchmans to engage with centres of learning worldwide 6. Enable ground-breaking discoveries in natural sciences and technologies by facilitating international, multidisciplinary research collaborations 7. Promote cultural exchange through carrying out short-term programs of 1-3 months duration in Indian cultural heritage and Gandhian thoughts for students from abroad

Immediate Programmes

Arrange meetings/workshops with academics from developed countries to identify vibrant and multidimensional partnerships with faculty and institutions to foster the flow of ideas on research themes of global relevance. Support of High commissions of foreign nations in India will be sought in this regard. This is to provide critical support to all the specific research centers in the college for the development of international linkages in researches on common global themes of multidisciplinary nature. Connections with international alumni groups also would be explored for St Berchmans Community to build global networks.

Long-term plans

In the long run, ‘International Centre for Collaborative Research’ would be a catalyst for permanent international research collaborations in the areas of globally relevant research themes. It will lead to the development and submission of joint research proposals to international agencies. Strengthening or developing long-term partnerships and advancement of formal institutional research agreements with institutions abroad will occur regularly.