Varanasi: Banaras Hindu University (BHU) on Friday signed MoUs with two industry partners for the licensing and wider application of university-developed innovations.The MoUs were signed with Mumbai-based MRC Agrotech Limited for the licensing of wheat variety HUW 838, also known as Malviya 838, and Bengaluru-based Indian Health Systems (IHS) for an Ayurvedic health assessment tool, Agnibala Self-Assessment Tool.In the presence of BHU VC Prof Ajit Kumar Chaturvedi, registrar Rajan Srivastava signed the agreements with representatives of the two companies. Inventors from the Institute of Agricultural Sciences and the Faculty of Ayurveda, along with other university members, were also present.The collaborations were facilitated by BHU’s Intellectual Property Rights and Technology Transfer Cell, which works to build partnerships with industry and corporate organisations to expand the reach of the university’s research and innovations.The wheat variety HUW 838 was developed by the Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Institute of Agricultural Sciences. It has shown superior yield performance compared with several popular check varieties. The Agnibala Self-Assessment Tool was developed by the Department of Kriyasharir, Faculty of Ayurveda. It enables individuals to assess their Agnibala, an Ayurvedic parameter related to digestion and associated health factors.The tool was developed by Aparna Singh under the supervision of Prof Sangeeta Gehlot and Prof Kishor Patwardhan, with statistical support from Girish Singh.
