This is St Xavier’s first-ever tie-up with a university abroad for such a programme. Under the MoU, both institutes will hold joint discussions and exchange programmes for students and faculty covering a variety of areas. Significant among them is collaboration in the field of plant biotechnology and food, medical and industrial biotechnology.

“It is estimated that by 2050, the world will have to produce 75 per cent more food, that too by not using more land than is being used at the present. Therefore, we need collaborators all around the world to address the problem of food security. No one country can do it alone,” said Prof Michael Trevan, dean of the faculty of agricultural and food sciences, University of Manitoba. Trevan was present at the MoU signing ceremony held at St Xavier’s College. The MoU was signed in the presence St Xavier’s Principal Father P C Mathew and the rector of the college, Father George Ponodath.

Father Mathew said: “This is our first foreign collaboration and we are taking one step at a time. We will consider more such tie-ups in the future.” He added that more such collaborations with foreign universities were likely in the next few weeks. Apart from biotechnology, the association between the two institutions will also span across other areas such as IT and humanities. Though the modalities of the tie-up and other details like finance options are yet to be worked out, officials of both the institutes said that discussions and courses would be conducted through exchange programmes and over the Internet.