There is good scope for further Indo-US collaborations in science and technology including in healthcare and clinical research according to Kenneth McBride, Political and Economic Officer, US Consulate General in Chennai.

He was inaugurating a bilateral workshop on “Research Capacity Building” at Sri Ramachandra University here.

Indo-US relations have blossomed in the last three years thanks to warm equation between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former US President Barak Obama. This will grow even stronger in the coming years, he said. Listing out some of the major bilateral programmes underway between the two countries he said there is a wide scope for further collaborations in healthcare and clinical research.

Dr Caven McLoughlin, Fulbright Professor from Kent State University in Ohio said, to become an internationally reputed university, faculty and students should emulate the efforts and standards of well established global educational institutions. Also there should be greater international inter university collaborations, multi centre research projects, multi country research centres and international exchange of faculty and researchers, he added.

Dr McLoughlin who is also editor of several international high impact journals will interact with research scholars, faculty and clinicians to fine tune their research orientation, methodology and guide them in applying for international research funding and publication of their research outputs in high impact journals.

Dr S.P.Thyagarajan, Dean Research at SRU, said in an era of globalization of higher education, there is need for quality institutions of international standards, internationally employable manpower and research that can be translated into better healthcare. It is towards this end that SRU has organised the three week Fulbright programme to bring global visibility of the research fiber of Sri Ramachandra University through research ambassador programme, enhance the impact of clinical research and research empowerment of women faculty members.