The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) organized twin conventions in Udaipur (Rajasthan) and Dharmashala (Himachal Pradesh) to mark a significant step forward in aligning academic research with the needs of national and international standardization, ensuring that India’s standards remain at the forefront of global developments.

BIS organized the convention for Deans and Heads of  Departments (HoDs) of the partner institutions in the Civil Engineering discipline. The event was held at Udaipur on the 23rd and 24th of August 2024. Shri Pramod Kumar Tiwari, Director General of BIS, inaugurated the program, underscoring the vital role of academia in the standardization process. He highlighted the challenges faced by BIS, such as sporadic involvement of academia in standardization, the lack of synergy between ongoing research and its relevance to standardization, and the representation of an unbiased Indian viewpoint in international standardization.

The convention brought together top academicians from the Civil Engineering discipline, providing a platform for knowledge exchange and collaboration.

A similar convention was simultaneously held at Dharmashala (H.P.) which was attended by distinguished academicians from the field of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry discipline. The members of academia were addressed by Shri Chandan Bahl, Dy. Director General along with Dr. Surya Kalyani, Sc-E and Head of TNMD department of BIS. The session was furthered by detailed presentations on the important Indian Standards and ongoing work within the Chemical Engineering and  Petro Chemical Department.

BIS has strengthened its partnership with 92 educational institutions across the country through Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs), recognizing academia as a critical and non-biased stakeholder in the national standardization process. These MoUs shall pave the way for academic institutions to actively participate in BIS Technical Committees for the formulation of National Standards, undertake R&D projects offered by BIS and contribute to international standardization efforts.

Numerous technical sessions were conducted during both the conventions, which provided valuable insights into the technical aspects of standardization in civil engineering, chemical engineering and Chemistry discipline.

Academic participation in standardization expands through institutional MoUs enabling faculty roles in technical committees and R&D collaboration. BIS organized parallel conventions to align academic research in Civil Engineering, Chemical Engineering and Chemistry with national and international standardization by addressing sporadic academic involvement and weak research-standards synergy. The events included technical sessions and presentations on ongoing standards work and announced Memorandums of Understanding with educational institutions to enable academic participation in BIS Technical Committees, BIS-sponsored R&D projects, and contributions to international standardization.