Research links Würzburg and India

01/13/2026

In autumn 2025, young researchers from India were guests at the University of Würzburg, and in December a Würzburg delegation made a return visit. The Institute of Anatomy organised the exchange.

The delegation from Würzburg at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Indore. (Image: privat)

The demand was significantly greater than the supply: "We received 32 applications for ten places," says Srikanth Karnati. Karnati is a professor at the Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology at Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (JMU); in this role, he has been organising cooperation projects between JMU and research institutions in India for several years. One of these projects was an exchange programme for young scientists at the end of 2025.

From 8 to 12 December 2025, a delegation from Würzburg visited the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Indore. The visit centred around a workshop on biomedical device technologies, i.e. technical procedures and instruments used in medical research and diagnostics. Ten selected doctoral students from JMU, the University Hospital and the Fraunhofer Institute took part.

IIT Indore belongs to the group of state-run Indian Institutes of Technology, which are among the leading technical universities in India. The university was founded in 2009 and specialises in scientific, technical and engineering research and teaching. Around 2,300 students are currently enrolled there.

Practical applications take centre stage

In keeping with the IIT's orientation, the workshop was entitled "Hands-on Integrated Device Technologies" and focussed on practical applications. "The participants were able to work with ultrasound methods, light-assisted manufacturing processes for biological models and measurement methods for analysing electrical signals in cells, among other things," explains Karnati.

The aim was to supplement theoretical knowledge with concrete practical experience and to promote exchange with an Indian research centre. The IIT is the ideal place for this: "The IIT is India's leading centre of excellence in the field of engineering," says Srikanth Karnati. Technologies that are used in Silicon Valley often have their origins there. Especially in the field of biomedical engineering , the IIT is a world leader.

An Indian delegation visits Würzburg

The first part of the exchange had already taken place in Würzburg in autumn 2025: From 29 September to 3 October, ten doctoral students from IIT Indore visited the University of Würzburg. They took part in a joint workshop that provided practical insights into working with so-called organoids - simplified models of tissue grown in the laboratory - and modern imaging techniques.

The programme also included visits to central research facilities in Würzburg, including the Biocenter and the Fraunhofer Institute. In addition to the scientific content, the guests also learnt about the city of Würzburg, including its history and cultural significance. The visit thus served both to exchange expertise and to get to know each other.

The SPARC-GIANT programme as a framework

The exchange is part of the Indo-German SPARC-GIANT funding programme, which is implemented by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) together with Indian partners. SPARC stands for "Scheme for Promotion of Academic Research and Collaboration". The aim of the programme is to strengthen cooperation between universities in both countries and to network young researchers internationally at an early stage.

This obviously worked in this case: "The participants in the two workshops not only worked together intensively, but also exchanged telephone numbers in many cases," observed Srikanth Karnati. One advantage of the programme is that there are no costs for the participants. Travel and accommodation costs are covered in full by the funding programme. Karnati is particularly pleased that he recently learnt that the SPARC-GIANT project has been extended until March 2027.

India is a focus at JMU

India is also a focus at the University of Würzburg beyond this programme - for example in the India Competence Centre of the University of Würzburg (ICCUW), which was founded in 2025. The new competence centre serves as a central point of contact for all JMU activities relating to India. One of its main tasks is to promote interdisciplinary exchange in science as well as economic, cultural and political relations between German and Indian research partners.