Mumbai: National Thermal Power Corporation Ltd (NTPC) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Anna University, Chennai (AUC) to provide a platform for knowledge sharing and collaboration to promote research and development in the areas of energy studies.

As per the MoU, NTPC and Anna University, whose faculty now includes former President Dr A P J Abdul Kalam, would co-operate and promote research and development in the area of mutual interest, continue education programme conducted by AUC in mutually identified areas of interest and establish an ''NTPC Center of Excellence in Energy Studies'', the company said in a filing with the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).

The MoU was signed in the presence of Kalam, who has recently joined the team of professors at the University''s Chennai centre.

The agreement is being seen as the first major step in the plan of Anna University-Chennai (AU-C) to develop a centre of excellence on its campus, which will be devoted to "energy studies," it said.

The centre will be multi-disciplinary and will involve other units of the university as well.

AU-C seeks to enter into programmes of training research collaboration with NTPC, leading power utility in the country, for capacity building of the talented researchers.

NTPC has allocated 0.5 per cent of its profit for carrying out research and development (R&D) works, the release said.