SWEDISH SOUTH ASIAN STUDIES NETWORK

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Development Assistance Engineering; School of Technology and Society, Skövde University:

Postal address: Biståndsingenjörsprogrammet, Institutionen Teknik och Samhälle, Högskolan i Skövde, Box 408, SE-541 28 Skövde, Sweden
Visiting address: Högskolevägen, Skövde
Web page: www.his.se/bisp

At the University of Skövde, established 1977, research is generally focused on developing advanced information technology systems and models, where the human being's qualifications and needs are important. Collaboration with India is taking place within the former Department of Engineering Science, now integrated into the School of Technology and Society.

The programme for Development Assistance Engineering is the only one of its kind in the Nordic countries. It consists of Mechanical Engineering education, combined with courses focused on international work i.e. Foreign Languages, Intercultural studies, Development Assistance projects, Project Management, Business Administration for Development Assistance, Emergency Medicine and Health in Developing Countries, Personal Safety and Rescue Services, Psychology of Crises and Catastrophes, International Law and International Private Law.
The studies can partly be located abroad, and the final project is carried out in a developing country. In January 2004 final projects were carried out in Tanzania and in India (students from Skövde taking water samples for testing at a well in Maharashtra on the photo above). The programme has developed cooperation with the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and with universities in Europe, Mexico, China and India.

Connection to South Asia:

In January 2004 the School of Technology and Society signed a formal agreement on collaboration with Pravara Rural Engineering College Loni, Maharashtra, India, and in April 2004 the department was given a Linnaeus Palme grant to evolve an exchange programme for students and teachers.
The funds were used to support two students from the department in Skövde, Ulrick Engerström and Michael Norrlöf (photo to the right), to write their theses in India.

The collaboration was based upon long-standing development assistance work carried out in Loni, 300 km east of Mumbai, by the Pravara Rural Education Society established in 1964 by Late Padmashri Dr. Vithalrao Vikhe Patil. His descendant, microbiologist Ashok Patil has a family connection to Sweden and stays part of the year in Skara. Now being the president of the International Association of Agromedicine and Rural Health, an NGO working with rural development and popular mobilisation in the Pravara region he is the key figure behind the collaboration between Skövde and Loni.

Two representatives from Pravara Rural Engineering College, Loni – the principal, Dr Dhirendra Shukla, and Asst. Professor Unde Anna Patilba – visited Sweden in September–October 2004. Besides visiting various departments at Skövde University they also went to Kristianstad University.

From 2005 the focus for Skövde University’s collaboration with Pravara Institute of Medical Sciences turned into biotechnology, biomedicine, molecular biology and genetic engineering, and a mahjor Sida funded project titeld ”Developing a multi-sectoral approach model to sustainable health and development through institutional collaboration between India and Sweden”. Associate Professor Kjell Ove Holmström, teaching Molecular Biotechnology at the School of Life Sciences, became the new contact person at Skövde University. More information.