Guwahati, November 2: The Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IIT Guwahati) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Centre for High Technology (CHT), the dedicated technology cell of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG) for the hydrocarbon sector, to promote education, research and innovation in petroleum refining, petrochemicals, critical minerals and energy.
Under the MoU, up to three PhD scholars will be selected every year as CHT–IITG Research Fellows, with a maximum of ten fellows supported at any given time. Each fellow will be jointly guided by an IIT Guwahati faculty supervisor and a co-supervisor or mentor from CHT or an industry partner nominated by CHT. Their research topics will be jointly identified by the two organisations.
CHT–IITG Research Fellows will receive a fellowship 25 per cent higher than the prevailing CSIR/UGC-NET/Institute rates, along with House Rent Allowance (HRA), an annual contingency grant and support for research consumables. The fellowship will be provided for up to four years, extendable by one additional year.
Candidates qualifying through CSIR/UGC-NET/GATE or selected through a test and interview conducted by IIT Guwahati will be eligible for the fellowship. Fellows may carry out their research at IIT Guwahati and/or at locations designated by CHT and its industry partners, according to a statement issued by IIT Guwahati on Monday.
The broad research areas identified under the MoU include green hydrogen (electrolyser and fuel cell technology), energy storage systems, corrosion engineering, carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS), CO₂-to-chemicals, crude-to-chemicals, polymers and petrochemicals, catalysts and additives, coal and biomass gasification, process design and intensification, water conservation and wastewater treatment, waste valorisation, alternate fuels, nanotechnology, digitalisation and cybersecurity.
In addition to the PhD fellowship programme, the collaboration will facilitate long-term sponsored research projects of mutual interest, with potential participation from industry partners. It will also explore the joint establishment of Centres of Excellence (CoEs) at IIT Guwahati to develop a research, development and innovation ecosystem.
As India’s hydrocarbon sector moves towards cleaner fuels, petrochemical integration and Net Zero goals, the demand for highly skilled researchers and industry-relevant solutions is growing. This collaboration will bring together IIT Guwahati’s research strengths and CHT’s industry expertise, along with that of its partner organisations, to build a strong talent pipeline and strengthen industry–academia linkages in the energy sector.
Speaking about the collaboration with CHT, Prof. Devendra Jalihal, Director of IIT Guwahati, said, “This partnership with the Centre for High Technology connects our doctoral researchers directly with the Oil & Gas and energy industry. Through jointly supervised PhD research, sponsored projects and training programmes, it will help develop solutions to real industry challenges and build the skilled workforce needed for India’s energy transition.”
The MoU was formalised at the Advanced Training Institute (ATI), ONGC, Goa, between Prof. Sukumar Nandi, Dean of Administration, IIT Guwahati, and Shri Sankar Gunasekaran, Executive Director, Centre for High Technology (CHT), MoPNG.
Other dignitaries present at the MoU signing ceremony included Dr. Neeraj Mittal, IAS, Secretary of MoPNG; Shri Alok Tripathi, Joint Secretary (Gas), MoPNG; and Dr. Sumit Kumar from the Department of Chemical Engineering, IIT Guwahati.
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