Two US schools, Indian foundation to build international Plastic university at Vapi in Gujarat


Ahmedabad, 8 February, 2012

According to a Plastic news report, the state of Gujarat will have an international-level university for polymers at Vapi. The first phase of the university will be able to open by 2-14 or 2015. The new university will come up over 50-acre campus.

India’s largest plastics trade association Mumbai-based Plastindia Foundation and two American universities the University of Massachusetts-Lowell and the University of Wisconsin with prominent plastics engineering and material science programs signed an agreement February 3 during the Plastindia trade show to build this Plastindia International university. The India based foundation still needs to raise most of the $30 million needed to fully build out their vision.

According to Shri Goel, President of PlastIndia Foundation, they have master plan done and have the partners identified. The land is in their possession.The project will be entirely privately financed, he said. The American universities are not putting in money but will help develop curriculum to international standards.

Lowell is one of the more prominent plastics engineering programs in the United States. An official from Wisconsin’s plastics program said the university was the first in the world to offer a course in plastics engineering, in 1946, and sees this as a unique chance to help build a new program.

Goel, in a speech at the ceremony, said the PIU will seek certification under the state of Gujarat, rather than the national system in India, because national rules are unclear and Gujarat is offering more flexibility.

Plastindia employed American architectural firm SWA Group to prepare preliminary designs, and in a presentation at the ceremony, an SWA architect showed a potential campus design for 2,000 students, with housing for students and staff, and that would use green practices such as rainwater harvesting and water recycling.