Two premier research institutes from the country – the Indian Institute
of Technology, Bombay (IIT-B) and Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
(TIFR) — have come together to set up the India’s first mathematics
centre. Located in the IIT-B campus, the National Centre for Mathematics
will be modelled
on the world’s first mathematics centre — the Oberwolfach Mathematics Research Institute in Germany.
“The centre will cater to all mathematicians. While there are
conferences for mathematicians, there is no organised platform for them
to come together. Mathematics centres are already established across the
world in countries like China, France and Canada,” said JK Verma from
the department of mathematics, IIT-B.
The centre will conduct research-level workshops, national and
international seminars, foundation courses, instruction schools for
teachers and facilitate research collaborations among scientists.
As directors of both institutes signed the 10-year memorandum of
understanding on Thursday, Devang Khakhar, director, IIT-B said, “We
hope that the centre will become a vibrant hub for discussion new ideas,
catalyse research, and become a vehicle to promote collaborative
research.”
The centre will also focus on applied mathematics, a field not been
entirely explored in India. “Mathematics and its applications are vital
for progress. The centre will make useful contributions to the
mathematical life of the scientific community,” said Mustansir Barma,
director, TIFR.
