Digital Desk: Assam Skill University (ASU) and Balipara Foundation formalized a strategic partnership through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), in the presence of ASU’s Honourable Vice Chancellor, Subhash Chandra Das, and Registrar, Hanif Noorani. This sets the foundation for a collaborative effort to promote skill development, sustainable tourism, and livelihoods in the Eastern Himalayan region.
Established with the vision to equip youth with 21st-century skills, Assam Skill University is the first Govt skill university in the North-East dedicated to delivering quality education and industry-aligned training across a range of emerging sectors such as tourism and skill development. Through this MoU, ASU joins hands with Balipara Foundation, a non-profit organization renowned for its community-based conservation approach through its proprietary framework of Naturenomics™, to foster meaningful engagement between academia and grassroots ecological action.
Under the MoU, Assam Skill University and Balipara Foundation will collaborate on a range of initiatives aimed at building skills and promoting sustainability education. This includes training programs and workshops focused on sustainable tourism, eco-tourism management and capacity building for community-based development.
The partnership will also drive joint research and innovation in nature-based solutions, with both institutions engaging in knowledge exchange, co-publication of research articles, and co-host expert-led sessions at the Eastern Himalayan Naturenomics™ Forum by Balipara Foundation and other programmes by ASU. These efforts will explore the integration of youth engagement and capacity building for conservation.
“This timely collaboration stems from a shared vision to link youth skills with sustainability. Community-based tourism is central to our partnership. Together, we aim to create immersive learning experiences where students engage directly with communities, gaining first-hand insight into conservation, culture, and livelihoods in the Eastern Himalayas”, said Karishma Ahmed, Chief Communications Architect, Balipara Foundation.
“This collaboration will not only equip students to become industry-ready professionals but also train them in emerging sustainability practices they can apply in real-world contexts,” said Dr. Shapna Medhi, Assistant Professor, ASU. “By blending ASU’s academic strength with Balipara Foundation’s grassroots expertise, this partnership offers students hands-on exposure to community-based impact,” added Dr. Mahesh C. Uniyal, Professor and HOD, Dept. of Tourism, ASU.
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