Accra, July 21, GNA - The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Accra Institute of Technology (AIT) on Monday announced a ground-breaking partnership agreement to cooperate in the area of scientific research and other academic curriculum. The agreement also provides for faculty support services collaborative arrangement within which CSIR research and technical staff would serve on AIT's adjunct faculty whiles AIT's students would also benefit from the excellent research expertise, facilities and resources of the CSIR in carrying out their student projects and research work. In a statement signed by Professor Clement Dzidonu, President of AIT, the agreement with the CSIR which, without doubt is staffed by the best research brains in the country, is in line with AIT's determination to partner with the best research and academic institutions to enable it provide world-class high quality education and research opportunities to its students in Ghana and elsewhere.

He said the partnership with the CSIR comes at the heels of the institutional cooperation agreement AIT signed this year with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) of United States of America one of the leading technological universities in the World. He said, it would provide AIT's faculty and students direct; and free access to teaching and learning materials on over 1,800 courses spanning MIT's entire curriculum via AIT's university campus network. Prof. Dzidonu said, as part of this cooperation agreement, MIT has made available to AIT materials on all its degree programs including: syllabuses, reading materials, lecture notes, students handouts, courseware, lessons, learning videos, exams, e-books, e-journals, lab resources and other teaching and learning materials of all MIT's undergraduate and postgraduate degree programs.

AIT accredited by the United Kingdom (UK) Engineering Council offer its high level engineering qualifications puts AIT a par with leading technological universities offering undergraduate and postgraduate engineering degree programs in the UK and in the developed world. "Ghanaians can now obtain at AIT an internationally recognized professional engineering qualification acceptable in any part of the world," Prof Dziduno stated.

The Director General of CSIR, Professor Emmanuel Owusu-Bennoah, said the CSIR with its highly qualified research and academic staff, partnership with AIT would provide both institution a broad based research and academic collaborative framework that would enable the two institutions to pull their resources to promote quality research work as well as provide and support the delivery of world-class academic programs.

He said the agreement provides for a research collaborative arrangement within which AIT and CSIR work in specific research projects and initiatives of mutual benefit to the two institutions. AIT is a technology-focused university committed to academic excellence and cutting-edge research. The University is modelled on internationally recognized institutes of technologies. AIT consists of five schools: School of Advanced Technologies, Engineering and Science (SATES); Advanced School of Systems and Data Studies (ASSDAS); School of Professional Certification Programs (SPCP); the AIT Business School (ABS) and the AIT Flying School (AFS).