Ratan Naval Tata, the Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons, received an honorary Ph.D. in automotive engineering from Clemson University in South Carolina, USA, last year. This impressed him so much that he decided to fund the fellowships through Tata Trusts, the non-profit charity where he is currently serving as chairman.

A press release from PSG College of Technology stated that the fellows will arrive from India’s PSG College of Technology for the fall semester, and will be studying in a state that has sought to strengthen economic ties with India, the world’s seventh largest nation, in terms of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Clemson University officials see the fellowships as a way of widening the portal, providing new economic and educational opportunities on both sides of the globe.

Each fellowship recipient will be a Master’s or doctoral student in Clemson’s Department of Automotive Engineering, and receive $26,500 a year toward tuition, books, housing, and other expenses. “Investing in education is a legacy bequeathed by our Founder, and an important part of our philosophy,” Ratan Tata said. “This partnership with Clemson University promises to benefit both our countries and prepare professionals who are passionate about automotive engineering to offer their expertise to Indian industry.”

Subramanyan Neelakrishnan, Head of Department (HOD) of Automobile Engineering at PSG College of Technology, will visit the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research. He will be meeting the university officials to discuss the details of the Clemson-PSG College of Technology collaboration.

Officials on both sides are already exploring other opportunities to collaborate, including a faculty-exchange programme, although nothing has been finalized yet. L. Gopalakrishnan, Managing Trustee at PSG College of Technology, said, “This represents a milestone in the department’s efforts in enhancing its programme, and is a positive sign for PSG Research and the automotive sector. I congratulate Professor Brij Khorana and his team at Clemson University for all the efforts taken in making this partnership possible. My best wishes to all concerned. I also take this opportunity to thank the jewel of the Indian auto industry, Sir Ratan Tata, chairman emeritus of the Tata Group, who has come forward to sponsor our students to pursue higher studies and also strengthen our automotive programme to be the best in the world.”

R. Rudramoorthy, Principal of PSG College of Technology, said “The demand for exclusive automobile graduates led PSG College of Technology to start the Bachelor’s programme in automobile engineering in 1999. Since then, the department has grown to be one of the best in the country, with a number of centres of excellence and partnerships with leading automotive industries. Our alumni, now in automotive industries, have made us proud and represent our strength. The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Clemson University, who are pioneers in the automotive field, marks a unique partnership in strengthening our programme and also paves the way for collaborative research in specific areas such as battery storage/management, hybrid/electric vehicles, and automotive materials/manufacturing, to name a few. This has been possible because of the efforts of the doyen of the Indian auto industry, Sir Ratan Tata, who has come forward to sponsor five students for the master’s/doctoral program.”