Krea inks pivotal new partnerships

Partnerships in focus

In line with Krea’s vision to develop well-curated purposeful alliances, the University has stepped into significant partnerships with the India-Oxford Initiative (IndOx), School of Informatics and Computing Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), and Northeastern University.

Krea University and the IndOx alliance will see both entities work together towards knowledge creation and knowledge dissemination in the areas of Sciences and Humanities. The first round of strategic initiatives is expected to commence shortly and will focus on areas of Gender Violence and Mental Health. Matched by the significant academic assets at both institutions and the ongoing ground-breaking projects at Krea in this space, these initiatives will find much needed acceleration.

Krea has also signed a partnership with the School of Informatics and Computing, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), a leading University from the United States of America. IUPUI has recently launched an AI institute and will work closely with Krea on this initiative. The School of Informatics and Computing at IUPUI is one of Indiana’s premier, high-ranked urban public research universities and Computer Science institutes, known for its numerous educational opportunities and innovative information system designs. The partnership, through its short-term immersive programmes, will open a world of opportunities for students at Krea who are seeking to make a Masters progression in Health Informatics or Master in Bioinformatics. Other collaboration areas include participation in current and new programmes, joint seminars and academic meetings, exchange of academic materials between the faculty at Krea and IUPUI.

Krea’s comprehensive university agreement with Northeastern University, USA involves collaborative efforts across teaching, research, cultural activity and joint development of ongoing and new curricula and academic projects among many other initiatives.  It also includes but not limited to mobility of faculty, scholars and students between Institutions, faculty and staff’s professional development, student services and collaboration in academic publications and other materials of mutual interest. As an initial activity, there will joint initiatives between IFMR GSB and D’Amore McKim School of Business at Northeastern. Northeastern University ranks among the Top 40 research universities in the country and has made one of the biggest rankings leaps of any in the Top 100. The D’Amore-McKim School of Business has contributed significantly to this rise in rankings by redefining business education, boasting exceptional undergraduate and graduate programs focused on the future of work. It is accredited by AACSB International.

The collaborations at Krea aim to benefit multiple stakeholder groups including teaching faculty young researchers, and students from both institutions as well as think tanks and related organizations in India.

Yoga and Mindfulness Learning Program

Yoga and Mindfulness

SIAS students have an opportunity to be a part of a Yoga and Mindfulness Learning Program,  by Carolyn Theresa Simon, an E-RYT 500 certified yoga instructor and wellness expert. The four session learning program will help students expand their understanding of mindfulness and practice yoga for anxiety and stress management, and deep focus.

Carolyn Theresa Simon is a Bangalore based wellness and food writer, fitness model and E-RYT 500 certified yoga instructor who enjoys finding stillness in movement. Initially drawn to yoga for its physical benefits, what made her fall in love with yoga were the immense mental and spiritual benefits derived from regular practice. She enjoys teaching all levels of students in different styles. Mindfulness, Ayurveda, Food and Yoga are topics she’s extremely passionate about and is working towards changing the world through yoga.

IFMR GSB student placed third in Trading Challenge

GSB student trading challenge

Siddharth Poddar, student of IFMR GSB, MBA Class of 2022 secured third position in Shri Ram Trading Challenge, an online mock-stock competition in which 2050 participants from various B schools were competing against each other on a virtual platform with Rs. 10 lacs as virtual currency, but with real stocks and live price movements. Participants were required to construct a virtual portfolio over a period of two weeks, from August 31 to September 11, and the individual with the highest portfolio value at the closing bell of the market on September 11 was declared the winner.

The event was organized by The Shri Ram College of Commerce, Delhi in association with Dalal Street Investment Journal.

Krea University partners for OneShared.World “Rise or Fall Together” Virtual Summit

Krea University partners for OneShared.World “Rise or Fall Together” Virtual Summit

Krea University was one of the proud partners of RISE OR FALL TOGETHER: The OneShared.World Interdependence Summit 2020. The summit brought together some of the world’s most inspiring people, including a Special Teaching by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, keynote remarks by Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, and performances by opera superstar Renée Fleming and Australian Sikh rap star L-FRESH the LION.

The summit will explore how recognizing the mutual responsibilities of our interdependence with each other and our shared ecosystem must underpin all efforts to solve our greatest common challenges, including pandemics, climate change, and systemic global poverty and inequality.

Prof Anil Srinivasan, a panelist at ‘Brand India- Arts, Crafts and Design festival’

Prof Anil

India Foundation’s Center for Public Diplomacy and Soft Power is organizing a 5 day virtual festival, ‘Brand India- Arts, Crafts and Design festival’ from September 14-18. 


Prof Anil Srinivasan, Associate Professor of Practice, Literature & the Arts joined a panel of celebrated artists on the 14th of September in the session, ‘Arts- Culture. Means and Contribution’. Prof Anil  is a critically acclaimed pianist and experimental musician and the first to be awarded coveted Sangeet Natak Akademi youth award. He is a TED speaker, composer, popular columnist and founder of a hugely successful musical initiative- Rhapsody pioneering the idea of STEM learning using music and arts-based interventions.  

During the 5-day global online festival the event aspires to have a mix of virtual walkthroughs, masterclass and panel discussions to help common minds understand the importance of arts, crafts and design and how culture and commerce can enable it both domestically and internationally.

The themes that the festival envisages to address are as follows:

Arts: Culture, means, and contribution

Crafts: Culture, means and contribution

Design: Historical overview, mapping India’s contribution and global influence

Tourism and Arts, Crafts and Design

Future: Use of technology to enable value addition and sustainable market access.

An engaging session on ‘Airport Operations’

Airport Operations

In a highly engaging session, Satyaki Raghunath – Chief Strategy & Development Officer and T C Sajit – Strategy Group Member and Chief Human Resources Officer of Bangalore International Airport Limited interacted with the students at IFMR GSB, shedding light on various aspects that shape robust airport operations. They shared insights on the role of public-private partnerships in building India’s infrastructure. Emphasizing on the complex gamut of stakeholders come together to provide a unique passenger experience, they termed an airport ‘a city within a city’.

An interwoven evening with Amandeep Sandhu

Amandeep Sandhu

In an interaction with the students and faculty at SIAS, author Amandeep Sandhu spoke about his book ‘Panjab-Journeys Through Faultlines’ (2019).  ‘Panjab’, a well informed and carefully researched book on the history, geography, society, and economics of the land of the five rivers, is a deeply moving narrative of a journey the author undertook to discover and reconnect with his roots. In this process of learning, he re-introduces us to a land that we have all but forgotten. 
 
Historically and culturally, known as the land of the ten Gurus and for the majestic Golden Temple,  Panjab is also recognized for the physical barrier that it provides to safeguard the rest of the country; a land of brave soldiers, a place full of old-world charm. Among other things, it is famous for its spirit of sharing, haunting music, free-spirited dance style, culinary delights, and last but not the least, as the breadbasket of India.  

Today, Panjab is also a land steeped in political movements, struggling for religious and caste identities, facing a gender imbalance and an imminent economic, social, and environmental downfall. 

‘Panjab’, the book, documents these changes.  Amandeep’s book acquaints the readers with the current Panjab, reeling under the after-effects of the three big changes that occurred in the previous century: the Partition of India and Pakistan, the Green Revolution, and the Khalistan non-movement. The book has seen critical, commercial, and emotional success at home and at places with large populations of Indian and Panjabi diaspora.  

Amandeep’s talk focused on ‘land’ and its value in an agrarian society like ours. He interwove personal, historical, and societal recollections.

Prof Kalyan Chakrabarti co-authors paper on “The happiness hormone and Parkinson’s disease”

Prof Kalyan

Prof Kalyan Chakrabarti has published a paper on Parkinson’s disease with collaborators from University of Medicine and Max Planck Institute, Göttingen, Germany in the Journal of Neurochemistry.

About the Paper:

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is an incurable brain disorder that causes uncontrollable shaking, stiffness, and difficulty with walking, balance and coordination, along with psychological complications of dementia, depression and anxiety. In 2015, PD affected 6.2 millions people (more than 1 million cases in India) and caused about 1.2 L deaths globally. The symptomatic loss of motor function is due to the damage in the portion of midbrain that releases dopamine, commonly known as the “happiness hormone”. As a result, the standard treatment to control the symptoms of PD are related to dopamine like molecules. The cause of PD is unknown and the biological mechanism of PD is an active area of research. In the biomedical literature the role played by the protein alpha synuclein is well established. The related protein beta synuclein is reported to play a beneficial role in patients suffering from PD. In this paper the researchers have described their recent results that show that the interaction of dopamine with beta synuclein may act as a culprit in Parkinson’s disease. 

Reference: Raina A, Leite K, Guerin S, Mahajani SU, Chakrabarti KS, Voll D, Becker S, Griesinger C, Bähr M & Kügler S “Dopamine promotes the neurodegenerative potential of beta-synuclein”, Journal of Neurochemistry, DOI: 10.1111/jnc.15134

Read the complete paper, here.