Two IIT Madras Students Awarded with Nissan Global Foundation Scholarship

The Japnese auto maker Nissan and Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IITM), today awarded two IITM students with Nissan Global Foundation Scholarship. The two students, Mr. Naveen Nikamanth and Mr. Siddharth Dialani, were selected by the joint committee of Nissan Global Foundation and IIT Madras (IITM) for this prestigious scholarship. As part of the scholarship, the students have a opportunity to do short training programme at Nissan headquarters in Japan and an internship at Renault Nissan Technology and Business Centre India Pvt Ltd (RNTBCI), in addition to a financial grant for 2 years.

The scholarship has a rigorous selection process involving a series of tests and interviews to assess the technical and leadership abilities. Naveen and Siddarth, the recipients of this prestigious scholarship were chosen from a shortlist of 50 students. Nissan is also engaged in collaborative research projects with IIT Madras in frontier areas of automobile technology. Nissan runs the ‘Nissan Support Program’ to encourage Research & Development Projects at IITM in the areas of Engineering, Science, Management, Humanities and Social Sciences. A maximum of five projects are chosen for funding every year from proposals received from the faculty of IITM. This further emphasizes Nissan’s commitment in the field of education and research in India. Currently, there are ten projects being carried out under this scheme.

Dr. Haruyoshi Kumura, Vice Chairman, Nissan Global Foundation, Nissan Motor Ltd., Japan, said, “As part of the continued association with IITM, Nissan is glad to award the scholarship for the third time. We are happy to support and inspire talented students to become leaders in the automotive field. We believe that their visit to Nissan, Japan will help them understand industrial needs and enable them to think globally towards sustainability. I congratulate the winners and wish them good luck”.

Dr. Krishnan Balasubramanian, Professor and Dean of the Centre for Industrial Consultancy & Sponsored Research (IC&SR), IITM said, “Nissan and IITM strive towards an active Industry-Academia collaboration through various programs including Research Projects, Internships, and Scholarships. This collaboration creates a win-win situation for both organisations. The Nissan Scholarships is expected to further motivate students to consider core industry jobs for their career. The two students were selected through a competitive process and I would like to congratulate them for their accomplishments”.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. K Ramamurthy, Dean, Academics, IITM said that “Our students cherish this as a prestigious scholarship and the rich training they receive through short-training at Nissan Headquarters. The internship at RNTBCI provides an exposure to industry practices and help them learn best practices of the work environment. ”

Mr. Hiroki Sasaki, Vice President, RNTBCI and Mr. Hiraoki Harata, General Manager, NML, Japan were also present on the occasion.