Dehradun: The Indian Navy has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES), Dehradun.
The agreement was formally signed by Shashi Tripathi, President of the Navy Welfare & Wellness Association (NWWA), Commodore SM Urooj Athar, Commodore (Naval Education) and Manish Madaan, Registrar at UPES.
The collaboration is expected to extend academic and professional development avenues to serving and retired Navy personnel, as well as their spouses and children.
Additionally, it also covers educational support for families of those who have lost their lives in service or sustained permanent injuries.
UPES will offer a wide array of educational options under this MoU. This will include full-time undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, as well as part-time PhD courses tailored for working professionals.
The university will also provide online learning opportunities across disciplines such as management, technology, law and more.
Furthermore, the agreement also opens doors for collaborative research and management development programs aligned with the Navy’s strategic interests.
Tripathi from NWWA highlighted the importance of the initiative, calling it a meaningful effort to empower naval families through flexible and accessible education.
She emphasised that this partnership reflects a long-term commitment to the well-being and advancement of the broader naval community, including Veernaris and their children.
UPES has further assured significant support to prospective learners. The university will offer merit-based scholarships to wards of naval personnel, while those opting for online programmes will be eligible for a 20 per cent fee waiver and relaxed eligibility criteria.
Provisions for replacing project work with viva-based assessments and access to live and recorded sessions further ensure convenience and flexibility.
For naval personnel enrolling in part-time PhD programmes, UPES will provide a 50 per cent tuition fee waiver per semester.
Under this MoU, access to digital library resources and limited guest house accommodation for academic purposes will also be facilitated. The agreement also lays the groundwork for future joint initiatives in areas such as engineering, aviation, legal studies, logistics and leadership development.
It should be noted that this partnership with the Indian Navy follows similar collaborations UPES has established with the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force.
