The oldest university of Odisha, Utkal University is planning to collaborate with five national institutes to create academic linkages between them to focus on teaching, research, field work and sharing of ideas. 

The national institutions like Regional Medical Research Centre, Institute of Life Sciences (ILS), Institute of Physics, Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology and National Institute of Science Education and Research will be collaborating with Utkal University to start a programme.

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)- Bhubaneswar and All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and other prestigious institutions have also been invited to participate in the programme.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) will be later signed to formalise the associations.

The collaboration will not only help the students and scholars but also bring in a lot of fresh ideas to improve the academic environment of the university.